There is a remarkable shift in the adoption of renewable energy in India, particularly with solar open access growing as a compelling choice for commercial and industrial (C&I) power consumers.

According to Mercom India Solar Open Access Report, in the first nine months (9M) of 2024, 4.8 GW of solar open access capacity was added, a 69% year-over-year (YoY) increase from 2.8 GW installed in 9 M 2023. The capacity added in 9M 2024 surpassed the annual installations witnessed in previous years.

As of September 2024, the cumulative installed solar open access capacity stood at 17.8 GW.

The Ministry of Power’s Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) Rules, effective since 2022, was a policy catalyst to facilitate the direct purchase of green energy by consumers who wish to meet their sustainability targets and save on electricity costs.

However, the rollout and impact of the GEOA rules vary across states. Stakeholders believe a better alignment between the regulations’ intent and the procedures governing them could help overcome the challenges.

States including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana have adopted the GEOA rules. As of December 2024, 22 states have released draft or final regulations for the smooth adoption of the rules.

Karnataka remained the top state for cumulative open access solar installations, accounting for about 29%, while Maharashtra and Gujarat ranked second and third.

GEOA Progress in States

Shriprakash Rai, chief revenue officer at AMPIN Energy Transition, which develops solar open access projects in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, highlighted how applying GEOA rules has worked for them.

“Green Energy Open Access Rules have created a common platform across all the states. It has reduced the threshold capacity for open access, leading to a broader market for renewable energy projects,” he said.

The application processing timelines have also been reduced post-adoption of GEOA Rules. “The rules have given comfort and confidence to consumers, lenders, and independent power producers about open access being uniform across states,” Rai added.

Vipul Joisher, Director of Aditya Green Energy, concurred. His company is set to commission its first solar open access project in Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) introduced the guidelines for the state to implement GEOA in September 2024. The rules apply to both existing and new consumers.

“The open access infrastructure in Maharashtra is very well established, but the GEOA rules are still in the preliminary stages. We are keen on GEOA because consumers will increase by 15-20 times, and this market will experience a great boom,” said Joisher.

Maharashtra also ranks among the top five states for solar open access projects in the pipeline. More than 80% of pipeline projects are in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.

Rajasthan, the top state with open access solar projects in the pipeline, is still awaiting adoption of the rules. In October, the state released draft guidelines for green open access.

“In Rajasthan, almost all the energy generated goes out of the state through the interstate transmission (ISTS) network. Rajasthan’s GEOA regulations will allow the addition of intrastate renewable energy,” commented an industry executive.

Chhattisgarh is another state with a promising future in open access. “Chhattisgarh has the lowest open access charges for solar and wind. Many large developers plan to set up solar parks of around 2 GW under open access models. The state has the lowest state transmission and wheeling charges,” a solar project developer highlighted.

“These incentives make solar projects more cost-effective and attractive, particularly for energy-intensive industries like iron, steel, aluminum, and tin, which stand to benefit the most from reduced electricity costs

Lack of Clarity a Major Challenge

While the GEOA rules are largely considered favorable, developers also point to some challenges.

“The challenges we faced were broadly due to missing synchronization between state policies and regulations, which increased project execution timelines. However, in most cases, we could resolve these gaps,” said Rai.

The issue mainly lies in the lack of clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) for developers to follow.

“The mismatch between state and central policies and the lack of SOPs has caused a delay in the projects. The procedural part of the policies may differ between states, but the approvals must be granted from one entity. This will make the process smoother and reduce the timeline of the projects,” said a developer based in Maharashtra.

Developers also highlighted that different interpretations of rules related to maximum banking percentage, energy banking cycle, and scheduling for energy accounting are creating uncertainties.

“We are still in the process of resolving such ambiguities through continuous engagement with state and central regulators,” Rai pointed out. “the government should clarify that the intent is to provide banking facilities for a minimum 30% of total monthly power consumption from the DISCOMs. States are also free to offer it for a quantum beyond 30% While states like Karnataka and Maharashtra show how impactful these rules can be, some issues.”

Developers also pointed out that a cluster-type approach for metering would be helpful in open access.

“If they develop a cluster-type approach where 5-10 people come together to set up a common switchyard, energy can be shared proportionally to their contract demand as they have proposed in net metering. This will help us a lot,” he added.

“We were expecting the government to develop a cluster-type approach in Maharashtra for GEOA rules as installing a switchyard and a meter for a 100 kW project will significantly increase the project cost,” said Joisher.

While states like Karnataka and Maharashtra show how impactful these rules can be, some issues must be addressed. Bridging the gaps between central policies and state implementation, simplifying processes, and embracing practical solutions can make solar open access far more accessible.