India adds 10GW solar capacity in 2021
Sees a record jump of 210% compared to 3.2 GW in 2020; ReNew Power was the top utility-scale solar developer, followed by Adani Green: Mercom report
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New Delhi: Solar capacity installations in the country jumped by a record 210 per cent to 10 gigawatts during 2021, Mercom Communications India said in a report on Thursday.
The green capacity installations reached a level of 3.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2020, the research firm said in its 'Indian Solar Sector Market Leaders' report. "In CY 2021, India saw a record 10 GW of new solar capacity installed, a big jump of 210 per cent compared to 3.2 GW the year before. The newly installed solar capacity in 2021 reached a record high, making up 62 per cent of the total power capacity additions in 2021," it said. According to the report, utility-scale projects accounted for 83 per cent of the total installations and the top ten developers of such projects accounted for 68 per cent of the total installed projects in the calender year 2021.
ReNew Power was the top utility-scale solar developer which commissioned the maximum projects during the year, followed by Adani Green. In 2021, 1.7 GW of rooftop solar capacity was added. Tata Power Solar led the list of rooftop solar installers, accounting for 20 per cent of the total installations in the segment. "Companies offering solar Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services saw a significant number of projects moving to 2021 from the previous year. Sterling & Wilson topped the list of EPC providers during the year, closely followed by Siemens Gamesa and Tata Power Solar," the report said. Sungrow was the top solar inverter supplier in 2021, while Arctech Solar was the top supplier of solar trackers during the year. Solar imports in 2021 saw a massive increase of 641 per cent year-on-year. LONGi Solar was the leading module supplier to India for the second consecutive year. Open access solar installations grew 222 per cent in 2021 compared to the previous year, making it the second-best year on record, it said. Mercom Communications India, a subsidiary of the US-based Mercom Capital Group, is a clean energy research and communications firm providing expertise in Indian cleantech markets.
