India deployed 8.8GW of solar in 2021 so far, up 280% on last year

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
India had 46.3GW of installed solar as of September. Image: ReNew Power.

India installed around 8,811MW of solar between January and September 2021, a 280% increase on the same period of 2020, according to JMK Research & Analytics.

The consultancy, which previously forecasted that 2021 will be a “landmark year” for solar in India, said the heightened deployment is mainly a result of projects being commissioned that were delayed last year because of COVID-19 disruptions.

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

Of the country’s total solar installs between January and September 2021, 2,068MW were rooftop systems, a 134% rise on the same time last year, with the state of Gujarat accounting for a quarter of rooftop additions thanks in part to policy support, JMK said.

Four states – Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra – were said to account for more than two-thirds of all solar additions during the nine months, with Rajasthan leading in terms of utility-scale deployment. Independent power producer ReNew Power recently commissioned a 250MW plant in the state.

Figures from India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) showed that as of September 2021, the country had 46.3GW of installed solar capacity, 85% of which were ground-mount projects.

JMK forecasts that around 11GW of utility-scale PV and 3GW of rooftop solar will be installed in 2021 in India as long as a third wave of COVID-19 does not hit the country.

Research from Bridge to India published in August suggested that India will add 2,450MW of solar PV in Q4 of this year. The consultancy’s managing director, Vinay Rustagi, told PV Tech earlier in the year that he expects the country to have around 65GW of deployed solar by the end of 2022, meaning it will fall short of a government target to reach 100GW by then.

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 6, 2025
Australia’s Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has called on Australia’s climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, to “urgently intervene” on a rule change that could threaten to derail the uptake of rooftop solar PV.
June 6, 2025
ElectraNet has revealed that renewables supplied 100% of South Australia's electricity demand for 27% of 2024, roughly 99 days.
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).

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