On the sidelines of the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026, Mercom India spoke with Khalid Nadeem, Chief Operating Officer at SAEL, about the growing role of battery and pumped storage, the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-II mandate for solar cells, and the policy support required to sustain renewable energy investments.

Accounting for 18% of India’s total solar installations in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, the rooftop solar segment has been a key growth driver in the country’s efforts to fast-track its clean energy transition. Spurred by ambitious government initiatives like the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, rooftop installations have helped India expand solar adoption at the consumer level.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy withdrew transitional relief for certain solar projects that were unable to comply with the ALMM List-I requirement due to commissioning delays beyond the developers’ control.

An overwhelming majority of rooftop solar systems installed under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana are above 3 kW, according to statistics furnished by the government in Parliament. Central Government subsidies for a 3-kW system are capped at ₹78,000 (~$814.76).

The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission approved Punjab State Power Corporation’s procurement of power from two intrastate solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 50 MW at a revised tariff of ₹2.84 (~$0.03)/kWh.

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission partly allowed a petition filed by a wind power generator and directed the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company to compensate the company for electricity injected into the grid between the grant of open access approval and the execution of wheeling and banking agreements.

Microinverter and battery storage supplier Enphase Energy reported revenue of $291.85 million in Q2 2026, down 20% year-over-year from $363.15 million. Revenue increased 3% sequentially from $282.9 million in Q1 2026.

Hubballi Electricity Supply Company invited bids to develop 303.5 MW of distributed solar projects to solarize agricultural feeders under Karnataka’s Chief Minister’s Solar Krushi Yojana. The last date to submit bids is August 27, 2026. Bids will be opened on August 28.

REC Power Development and Consultancy invited bids to select a transmission service provider to establish a 765/400/220 kV air-insulated substation at Alkud II in Jath, Sangli District, Maharashtra. The last day to submit bids is September 30, 2026. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Bhopal Municipal Corporation issued a tender to set up grid-connected rooftop solar projects with an aggregate capacity of 2 MW across 304 locations. The individual capacities of the projects will range from 2 kW to 50 kW. The last date to submit bids is August 8, 2026. Bids will be opened on August 10.

Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency invited bids to formulate a detailed project report for implementing the Model Solar Village Scheme under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. Bids must be submitted by August 18, 2026. Bids will be opened the next day.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission added grid-connected power inverters manufactured in foreign countries to its Covered List, preventing new models from receiving the equipment authorization generally required for their import, marketing, and sale in the country.

Egypt attracted an investment of EGP20 billion ($391 million) from an Egyptian-Emirati consortium to develop a high-voltage transmission line. The infrastructure will evacuate electricity generated by large-scale wind projects in the Gulf of Suez and deliver it to the national grid.