At 7.3 GW, India’s Solar Installations in 2019 Declined by 12%
India installed 7,346 MW of solar capacity in the calendar year (CY) 2019, a 12% decline year-over-year (YoY), compared to 8,338 MW in 2018, according to Mercom India Research’s newly ...
Impact of Basic Customs Duty on Solar Cells and Modules: Winners and Losers
Basic customs duty (BCD) on the import of solar cells and modules was announced at 20% in the Union Budget for 2020-21. While the exemption on this duty remains in ...
Solar Imports Declined, Exports Surged in 2019
In the calendar year (CY) 2019, India imported solar cells and modules worth $2.17 billion, a drop of almost 16% compared to CY 2018. In CY2018, the Indian solar sector ...
MNRE Mulls Removal of Tariff Caps for Solar and Wind Tenders
According to industry sources, in a meeting with the developers of solar and wind projects, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has proposed the removal of tariff caps, ...
Solar Tender and Auction Activity Surged in January 2020
Tender activity in January 2020 saw an increase of over 70% from the previous month with over 4 GWs of solar projects announced, according to Mercom India’s Solar Tender Tracker, ...
Robotic Cleaning of Solar Modules Gaining Traction in India Amid Water Scarcity
Water is a scarce commodity in a country of nearly 1.4 billion people, and the use of water in energy generation is a big concern. The rise of solar and ...
Budget 2020 Allocates ₹220 Billion to Power & Renewable Energy Sector, Empowers Consumers
Amid the ongoing economic slowdown, the Union Budget 2020-21 has tried to instill hope in the investors and taxpayers. The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2020-21 in ...
What the Indian Solar Industry Wants from Budget 2020
On February 1st, the NDA government will present its 2020 budget. Considering the present state of the economy and the renewable industry, the upcoming budget can be a great opportunity ...
Privatizing DISCOMs the Way Out of their Financial Mess
The Indian power sector has been reeling under enormous financial pressure over the last few decades. Distribution companies (DISCOMs), a crucial part of the power sector, have been at the ...
Venture Capital Funding for Battery Energy Storage Companies Rises by 103% in 2019
In 2019, global VC funding (venture capital, private equity, and corporate venture capital) for battery storage, smart grid, and efficiency companies totaled $2.3 billion compared to $2.8 billion raised in ...
First Loss Protection Can Open up Third-Party Rooftop Solar Market
The rooftop solar market slowed down significantly in 2019 along with regulatory hurdles and the overall downturn in the economy – it has yet to recover. Because of the liquidity ...
Solar’s Share in India’s Total Installed Power Capacity Reaches 9.6% at the End of 2019
Renewable energy (including large hydro) accounted for almost 36% of India’s total power capacity mix at the end of the calendar year (CY) 2019, according to data from the Central ...
Solar Projects are Helping Generate Income, Create Jobs and New Skills in Rural Areas
The development of large solar power projects in rural areas usually gets a bad rap as it is associated with issues like land grabbing, deforestation, and disruption of the rural ...
Corporate Funding in 2019 Jumps 20% Reaching $12 Billion in the Solar Sector Globally
Total corporate funding in the solar sector increased by 20% in 2019, reaching $11.7 billion in 117 deals, up from $9.7 billion in 139 deals in 2018, according to Mercom ...
TMEIC and Sungrow Led the Solar Inverter Supplier Leaderboard in 1H 2019
In the first half of 2019 (1H 2019), TMEIC emerged as the top supplier of solar inverters to the Indian market with a market share of approximately 20% while Sungrow ...
After a Slow November, Solar Tender and Auction Activity Picked Up in December 2019
The month of December 2019 saw a significant rise in the solar tender activity compared to the subdued activity in November 2019. The last month of 2019 also saw one ...
Indian Solar Industry Optimistic Going Into 2020
After a somewhat disappointing year, the domestic solar industry’s hopes are pinned on 2020. Towards the end of 2019, Mercom revised its estimates for the calendar year (CY) 2019 down ...
Solar Project Developers Still Waiting for Safeguard Duty Reimbursement
To protect domestic cell and module manufacturers, a 25% safeguard duty was announced on solar cell and module imports from China and Malaysia for the period between July 30, 2018, ...
35 GW of Solar Installed, 65 GW More to go for India to Reach its 100 GW Solar Target
Total solar installations in India have crossed the 35 GW mark, according to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker. The country has a goal of reaching 100 GW of solar capacity ...
Import of Solar Cells and Modules Drop and Exports Rise in the First Nine Months of 2019
In the first nine months (9M) of 2019, India imported solar cells and modules worth $1.6 billion (~₹115.7 billion), a drop of around 22% compared to 9M 2018. However, exports ...
Ganges, Purshotam Profiles, Strolar Top Solar Mounting Structure Suppliers in 1H 2019
According to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2019, in the first half of this year (1H 2019), Ganges Internationale, Purshotam Profiles, and Strolar emerged as the top ...
Letter of Credit Has not Been Effective as Payment Security for Solar Developers
To tackle the risks related to delays in payments to independent power producers, the Ministry of Power (MoP) recently mandated state-owned distribution companies (DISCOMs) to issue a letter of credit ...
734 MW of Solar Projects Tendered in November; But No Auctions
Solar tender activity slowed down while there were no auctions in November 2019. While the month did not see any auctions, only 734 MW of solar tenders were floated, according ...
Trina and Adani Were the Leading Solar Module Suppliers in India During 1H 2019
According to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2019, in the first half of this year (1H 2019), Trina Solar, Adani, and Risen Energy emerged as the top ...
Solar Tender, Auction & Commissioning Delays Causing Liquidity Issues for Developers
According to several solar developers Mercom interacted with recently, there was unanimous agreement that the cost of participating in large-scale solar tenders has reduced their ability to actively bid for ...
