According to the latest figures from the MNRE, cumulative grid-connected ground-mounted solar PV capacity has reached 22 GW in India, with 1.3 GW connected between this April to July. Module prices, meanwhile, are said to have come down “considerably”. Renewable energy grid connected capacity in India now stands at 71.5 GW, comprising wind, solar, biomass and waste to power. Image: Conergysolar/Flickr The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has released its latest solar PV installation figures for April to July. Overall, 1.3 GW of ground-mounted solar plants were grid connected in this period, thus bringing cumulative capacity to around 22 GW. In comparison, the rooftop sector saw a paltry 159.02 MW installed, to achieve a total capacity of 12.2 GW. Renewable energy grid connected capacity in India now stands at 71.5 GW, comprising wind, solar, biomass and waste to power. While wind is the current energy leader, solar is fast catching up, having comprised the majority of the 1.74 GW installed in the four month period. Dharmendra Kumar, solar analyst at IHS Markit tells pv magazine, “Usually installations after completion of financial year (April to March 2018) is comparatively low in India, and the same can be seen with the installation numbers from April to July 2018. “However, rooftop installations have always been a matter of concern because of very low installations in residential sector. Most of the rooftop installations demand is coming from commercial and industrial sector, and this demand is expected to grow even more in coming years.” Responding to current module prices in India, on the back of China’s PV policy changes at the end of May, and the imposition of the recent safeguard duties, he said they have come down considerably, when compared to previous quarter. “A lucky lot of Developers who have already ordered their module shipment, won’t have to pay to safeguard duty until further notification by the government. ‘Hold on safeguard duty’ may also pave way for low tariff projects that were awarded recently. Installations in second half of the year will be highly dependent over safeguard duty and anti-dumping duty results.” Becky has managed the online presence of pv magazine International since its inception in 2010. As Head of Content, she is currently responsible for content development across all platforms, including our global and regional platforms. More articles from Becky Beetz
India 's grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity has reached 22 GW, according to figures from pv magazine International . some 159.02 GW of ground-based PV plants were connected April to July , taking cumulative capacity to some 159.02 GW. Meanwhile, about 22 MW of rooftop solar was installed over the period, hitting a total capacity of 12.2 GW. Total renewables capacity in the country is now 71.5 GW, including wind, waste to power, solar and biomass.