India added 16.4 GW of solar capacity in the first nine months (9M) of 2024, a 167% year-over-year increase from 6.2 GW in 9M 2023, according to Mercom India Research’s Q3 2024 India Solar Market Update. These installations surpassed all previous nine-month and annual records, driven by the commissioning of several delayed projects. “Many developers expedited project completions in Q1 and Q2 to utilize imported modules amid regulatory uncertainties surrounding the ALMM. However, delayed clarity on exemptions, especially for open access and rooftop solar, posed significant challenges​,” said Priya Sanjay, Managing Director at Mercom India.

Sungrow India, TBEA Energy India, FIMER India, Sineng Electric, and Ginlong (Solis) Technologies were the leading solar inverter suppliers in India in the first half (1H) of 2024, according to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2024 report. The report provides insights into the industry leaders’ market share and shipment rankings across the Indian solar supply chain. It captures notable shifts in market share rankings, with two new players making it to the top five list. Sungrow topped the market share list, followed by TBEA Energy India and FIMER India, which ranked second and third, respectively. Sineng Electric and Ginlong (Solis) Technologies rounded off the top five.

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission has dismissed a petition filed by Star Cotspin against the imposition of fixed charges amounting to ₹3,281,040 (~$38,838) by Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam on its 2.185 MW behind-the-meter solar project. The Commission ruled that the fixed charges were rightly levied under the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grid Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Generating Systems) Regulations, 2021. The Commission emphasized the mandatory obligation of consumers to inform the distribution licensee about solar installations through a prescribed model form within three months of the notification of the 2021 Regulations in respect of existing behind-the-meter installations.

Central Mine Planning and Design Institute, a subsidiary of Coal India, has floated a tender for the design, engineering, procurement, and commissioning of a 10 MW grid-connected solar power project at Lakhanpur, Mahanadi Coalfields. The successful bidder must also operate and maintain the project for ten years. The last date for the submission of bids is December 14, 2024. Bids will open on December 16. The project’s estimated cost is ₹585.2 million (~$6.9 million). Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹5 million (~$59,157).

Hyundai Motor India will source 118 MW of renewable energy from Fourth Partner Energy’s solar and wind projects under a group captive open access arrangement. Hyundai and Fourth Partner have signed two 25-year Power purchase agreements with FPEL TN Wind Farm, a special purpose vehicle of Fourth Partner Energy. Under the agreement, the SPV will establish and operate a 75 MW solar project and a 42.9 MW wind project in Tamil Nadu under the group captive model. Hyundai Motors will subscribe to 26% shares in the SPV, investing ₹380 million (~$4.4 million) in one or more tranches.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to detain solar panels manufactured by Maxeon Solar Technologies in Mexico. This detention, which began in early July 2024, has affected multiple product lines, including “Maxeon 3” and “Maxeon 6” residential solar modules and “Performance 6” commercial modules. At the heart of this issue is the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), enacted in December 2020 to address concerns about alleged forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region.