India's rooftop solar capacity grows to 9.6 GW by June 2023, Mercom

According to a report from Mercom India, rooftop solar installations in the country expanded by 3.2 % to reach 872 megawatts (MW) during the January-June period of 2023. In the first half of 2022, India had installed 845 MW of rooftop solar capacity, as reported by the same research firm.The cumulative rooftop solar capacity in India reached 9.6 gigawatts (GW) by the end of June 2023, as stated in the 'Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report.'In the second quarter of 2023, there was an addition of 387 MW of rooftop solar capacity, representing a 20 % increase compared to the January-March 2023 period. However, this figure showed a marginal decrease of 0.5 % when compared to April-June 2022.Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group, commented on the performance of rooftop solar in the first half of the year, stating that it fell short of expectations despite decreasing component prices and growing demand. He anticipated a more robust second half of the year as installers, seeking better margins, would accelerate installations to meet the increasing demand.The capacity additions in rooftop solar were distributed among various consumer segments, with residential consumers contributing 54%, industrial consumers 25%, and commercial consumers 21%. The industrial sector saw significant installations in areas such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), automobile, and auto components.The top states in terms of cumulative rooftop solar installations were Gujarat, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan.