COVID-19 and Indian PV: Energy demand plunge could indirectly boost C&I solar

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
C&I solar has been the fastest mover in India’s rooftop PV sector over the last four years. Credit: SunSource

The 20% reduction in energy demand seen in India due to the COVID-19 lockdown could draw out favourable conditions for solar firms working in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, according to a prominent Indian developer.

Along with national energy demand plummeting, consumers are also more likely to default on payments at present, Adarsh Das, co-founder and CEO of Indian rooftop solar developer SunSource Energy, told PV Tech. This is expected to significantly hurt India’s distribution companies (Discoms), most of which are already in the red.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“We predict an increase in the commercial and industrial grid tariff in the country to rescue the Discoms, which will open up a unique opportunity for the distributed solar companies who are focused on C&I segment,” said Das.

C&I solar has been the fastest mover in India’s rooftop PV sector over the last four years, amongst other measures by offering factories and industries ways of improving their bottom line through savings on power from the grid. By contrast, the residential rooftop sector has been slower to pick up.

Contract reneging

Looking at the wider Indian PV industry, Das expects the sector to face challenges in completing projects on time due to short-term supply chain disruptions. More than 80% of major PV equipment supplies come from China and a lockdown in that region has pushed back project commissioning dates by at least a quarter, he said.

Delays may be less of a concern given that, earlier this month, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) ordered state authorities and clean energy agencies to treat the COVID-19 outbreak as a force majeure event, allowing developers to apply for time deferrals on project commissioning where there are genuine delays. This has been the “biggest relief” to developers, added Das.

More worryingly, however, Das said there is a possibility that suppliers or customers may renege on contracts and renegotiate the rates. The sentiment echoes that of the CEO of large-scale developer ACME Solar, who told PV Tech that if the delays reach a certain threshold then parties would have the right to terminate, resulting in project reassessments.

Manpower and capital shortages

The lockdown, which has led to millions of migrant workers fleeing cities to return to their home villages, has also seen various restrictions in movement brought in.

This is making it harder for developers to raise capital and mobilise manpower to manage assets and maintain the guaranteed generation levels, said Das. The difficulties come despite the fact that, as reported last week, the government has tried to help by classifying solar as ‘power generation’ and therefore as an ‘essential’ activity, which can continue in spite of the lockdown.

Financing issues have, Das said, fortunately been mitigated so far by timely action from the federal government and the Reserve Bank of India. These bodies have made significant announcements to infuse much-needed liquidity into the market and to address other development-related challenges.

“While the government has intervened strongly, the ball is essentially in the virus’s court, so to speak at this time,” Das concluded. “We stay optimistic and believe that this is a temporary blip and the industry will have to continue to tackle such challenges.”

PV Tech has set up a dedicated tracker to map out how the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting solar supply chains worldwide. You can read the latest updates here.

If you have a COVID-19 statement to share or a story on how the pandemic is disrupting a solar business anywhere in the world, do get in touch at [email protected] or [email protected].

Read Next

June 9, 2025
Saatvik Solar, a unit of Saatvik Green Energy Limited (SGEL), is building a 4.8GW solar cell and 4GW module manufacturing facility in Ganjam district of Odisha.
June 5, 2025
Solar manufacturer Involt Energy has broken ground on its first solar cell manufacturing plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat, with an initial annual nameplate capacity of 1.78GW. 
June 5, 2025
Indian solar module manufacturer Vikram Solar has received final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to proceed with its initial public offering (IPO) and raise capital through the public markets.
June 5, 2025
Investment in clean energy and grids will reach US$2.2 trillion in 2025, double the expected investment into fossil fuels this year, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
June 2, 2025
Arctech has partnered with ACME Cleantech Solutions to provide 175MW worth of solar trackers for an upcoming facility in Duqm, Oman.
May 30, 2025
Waaree Solar Americas – a subsidiary of Indian solar manufacturer Waaree Energies – has signed a 586MW solar module supply agreement with North Carolina-based Pine Gate Renewables.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece