India deploys 8.4GW of solar PV in H1, forecast to reach 20GW by end of the year

By Tom Kenning
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
India’s rooftop solar sector lagged is well below its targets and lagging behind the utility-scale segment. Image: Tata Power

India deployed 8,359MW of solar PV in the first half of the year, marking a significant increase of 71% compared to the same period last year, according to figures from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and analyst firm JMK Research.

The country is also expected to deploy 20GW in the whole of 2022, made up of ~16.5 GW of large-scale PV and 3.5 GW of rooftop solar. This would be another huge jump up from the 12GW deployed in 2021.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • 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

The solar hotbed state of Rajasthan has installed the most capacity by far this year with 4.5GW, almost three times that of its closest rival Gujarat (1.5GW), followed by the southern state of Tamil Nadu with 680MW.

The country’s cumulative renewable energy installations up to June 2022 have now reached 114GW, with solar taking up 51% of that capacity, according to figures from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The remainder of deployment is made up by wind energy (36%), bio-power (9%) and small hydro (4%).

Image: JMK Research and CEA

Back in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had originally set a target of 100GW of solar by 2022, a five-fold increase from the previous government’s target of just 20GW. 

However, while India’s utility-scale PV additions have nearly kept up with objectives, being on track to reach 97% of its 60GW target by December, rooftop solar is expected to fall a huge 25GW short its 40GW target. Since the boom in Indian solar kicked off by the 100GW target, the rooftop sector has always lagged behind the large-scale sector, which was driven by a plethora of mega-scale solar park contracts.

However, last month India’s government reportedly said it would stop the electronic reverse auctions it had used to proliferate renewables projects across the country, due to concerns that it had led to unhealthy competition. Right from the early days of the auctions, certain industry members had expressed their concerns over the regular achievement of record low prices in these auctions.

As many commentators have said over the years, JMK repeated that it was “imperative” to concentrate efforts and put more focus on the rooftop sector otherwise the overall PV targets would be missed. Noting supply chain risks, it also said that enhancing domestic PV manufacturing facilities was “critical”. Chinese suppliers still accounted for the vast majority of modules used in India in FY2022.

Last week, Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported sources saying that India had dropped its 2030 target of 500GW of non-fossil fuel based installed capacity, which had included a 300GW target for solar PV. The country has instead reportedly opted for a more flexible target of 50% power from non-fossil fuel sources, allowing it to consider new coal-fired power plants.

Read Next

August 29, 2025
US grid interconnection agreements grew by 33% in 2024, reaching 75GW, with three-quarters signed for solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, according to a new report from energy market analyst Wood Mackenzie.
August 29, 2025
Meridian Energy and Nova Energy have established a JV to build and operate a 400MW solar plant in Rangitaiki near Taupo in New Zealand.
August 28, 2025
Indian solar manufacturing firm INA Solar has broken ground on its fourth 4.5GW cell production plant in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh.
August 28, 2025
Boviet Solar has completed exterior construction work on its 3GW PV cell manufacturing facility in Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina. 
August 28, 2025
Developer Pacific Energy has successfully commissioned a 26MW solar-plus-storage site at the Atlas-Campaspe mine in NSW, Australia.
August 27, 2025
Independent power producer RP Global is building a 50MWp solar project in Harbke, Germany.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines