India added world’s second largest PV capacity in first half of 2018

The nation installed 4.9 GW of solar, surpassing the USA – which installed 4.7 GW – to become the second largest solar market in the first half of the year, second only to China’s 24.3 GW.

October 16, 2018 Uma Gupta

It's solar as far as the eye can see as India kept the USA in its rear view mirror during the first half of the year.

Image: Belectric

India stayed ahead of the U.S. as the world’s second-biggest solar market in the first six months of this year, according to Mercom Communications India.

Rooftop solar accounted for 16 per cent – 805 MW – of the 4.9 GW of solar capacity installed in India from January to July. Year on year growth in rooftop installations was an impressive 55 per cent, with cumulative installations totaling nearly 2.41 GW, as of June.

Utility scale solar saw around 300 developers with projects of at least 5 MW or more in operation. Around 70 large-scale PV project developers had a pipeline of 5 MW or more.

Leading developers

Utility scale: new leaders are emerging in the highly competitive Indian solar PV market, while some of the established companies maintained their leadership position during the six-month period. According to the report, the top 10 large-scale solar developers accounted for a 55% market share in the first half.

Adani remained the largest project developer in terms of cumulative installations, as well as the top installer in terms of solar capacity added during the period studied. ReNew Power had the largest solar project pipeline at the end of the first half.

Rooftop solar: The top 10 installers made up only 27 per cent of rooftop projects in India, reflecting the fragmented nature of the market.

Sterling & Wilson was the top EPC cumulatively and in the first half.

Tata Power Solar had the largest cumulative rooftop portfolio and CleanMax emerged as the biggest rooftop installer in the six-month period.

Leading suppliers

Swiss company ABB led in terms of solar inverter shipments to India.

During the first half, the top five PV module suppliers accounted for more than 37% of the market. At the end of June, Chinese company Trina Solar was the leading module supplier in terms of cumulative shipments and Chinese rival ZnShine was the biggest supplier in the first half of the year.

There are more than 50 suppliers of solar mounting structures active in India, the top supplier being Ganges Internationale.

And there are more than 30 suppliers of solar trackers active in the market. As of the first half of 2018, around 4 GW worth of trackers have been supplied.

NEXTracker and Artech Solar lead the pack in cumulative shipments with L&T the top supplier in the half year studied.

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