Mercom India Research released its latest India Solar Market Leaderboard 1H 2020, which reveals the Indian solar industry’s market leaders, from the first half (1H) of the calendar year (CY) 2020.

The report includes market share and shipment rankings of major stakeholders across the Indian solar supply chain in 1H of 2020.

1H 2020 saw the COVID-19 pandemic severely affect the Indian solar market, resulting in a slowdown in solar installation activity across the board.

Solar installations in 1H of 2020 totaled 1.3 GW – a 60% drop compared to 3.2 GW of installed capacity in 1H of 2019. The slowdown in the activity across the sector resulted in a shuffle in the solar market leaderboard.

However, India still maintains a strong pipeline of 41.7 GW of utility-scale projects under development, with another 34.2 GW of tenders awaiting auction.

“This has been unlike any other year in the Indian solar industry’s history. Although Installations are at historic lows, the market has also created opportunities for new leaders and innovators. The market share leader board will remain volatile as we go from one of the weakest years for solar to one of the strongest in 2021,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group.

A complete list of market share leaders available here.

Large-Scale Solar

With 1,016 MW installed, utility-scale solar installations represented 78% of the capacity additions in 1H 2020. Solar accounted for 56% of the country’s new power capacity additions in the first half of the year.

The report also reveals that the top ten utility-scale (operational) project developers garnered 94% of the market share in 1H 2020. Hero Future Energies led utility-scale project installation in 1H of 2020, on account of its 300 MW project commissioned at the Bhadla Solar Park.

In terms of cumulative installed capacity, Adani continues to be the largest utility-scale developer, as of June 2020. The company also owns the largest project pipeline.

Currently, ten utility-scale solar developers in India have more than 1 GW of projects in the pipeline according to Mercom’s Market Share Tracker.

EPC

Among utility-scale solar Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) service providers, Sterling & Wilson topped the list in 1H of 2020. The company also has the largest solar EPC portfolio, as of June 2020.

However, the market was quite challenging for EPC companies in 1H of 2020 due to COVID-related issues, such as labor shortages, logistics issues, and balancing project economics. The five-month extension for project commissioning was a huge relief to EPC companies. But the extension pushed most project deadlines to 2021.

Rooftop Solar

In 1H of 2020, the top ten rooftop solar installers held 70% of the market share. However, the rooftop solar segment was severely affected by the pandemic, with installations falling by 50% compared to 1H of 2019.

The C&I segment is expected to recover in the second half of the year, especially in sectors like transportation, IT, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. Tata Power Solar had the largest solar rooftop portfolio in 1H of 2020 and was also the largest solar rooftop installer as of June 2020.

Solar Inverter Suppliers

Sungrow was the top solar central inverter supplier and Huawei was the top string inverter supplier in India in 1H 2020. Cumulatively, as of June 2020, FIMER India was the largest solar inverter supplier.

Inverter suppliers have time until December 31, 2020, to secure the self-certification of solar inverters. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is also streamlining the technical specifications for solar grid-tied inverters.

Module Suppliers

The top ten module suppliers accounted for over 74% of the market share in 1H of 2020. LONGi Solar was the top module supplier to India in 1H 2020, while Trina Solar was the leading module supplier in cumulative shipments.

However, module suppliers are waiting for further clarity on the imposition of basic customs duty (BCD) proposed by the government. The government is yet to declare the amount of duty and its duration.

Meanwhile, Solar cells and modules imported from China PR, Thailand, and Vietnam already have a safeguard duty (SGD) of 14.90% from July 30, 2020, to January 29, 2021, and 14.50% from January 30, 2021, to July 29, 2021. Both BCD and SGD are expected to restrict imports and give domestic manufacturers an edge to compete against cheaper modules.

Mounting Structures

Mahindra Susten led the supply of module mounting structures in 1H of 2020, followed by Ganges Internationale and Strolar. Ganges Internationale was also the leading supplier, cumulatively, as of June 2020.

In June, the Ministry of Finance imposed an anti-dumping duty on aluminum and zinc-coated flat products used in mounting structures from China PR, Vietnam, and Korea RP to protect the domestic industry. The duty is effective for five years, starting from October 15, 2019.

Open Access Solar

Rays Power Experts, Amplus Solar, and CleanMax Solar were the leading open access developers as of June 2020. Though open access was considered as an excellent opportunity for entities wishing to go solar, it is yet to witness the kind of growth initially expected.

The segment suffers from a variety of constraints and disadvantages due to regulatory ambiguities and lackluster implementation.

Solar Robotic Cleaning

Solabot Technologies was the leading supplier of solar robotic cleaning systems in 1H of 2020.

Incidentally, water scarcity and the need for regular cleaning of panels to maintain generation efficiency drive demand for robotic cleaning. Labor shortages, especially due to the pandemic, has pushed developers towards robotic cleaning.

Get the complete list of market leaders with installation and supply data in the full report here.

Rahul is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before entering the world of renewables, Rahul was head of the Gujarat bureau for The Quint. He has also worked for DNA Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad Mirror. Hailing from a banking and finance background, Rahul has also worked for JP Morgan Chase and State Bank of India. More articles from Rahul Nair.