Telangana’s green energy open access market has considerable room for growth as commercial and industrial consumers seek more renewable energy to power their operations.

However, industry experts said policy constraints continue to restrict wider adoption despite the state’s demand potential.

They also cautioned that substantial solar cell manufacturing capacity expected to come online may take time to stabilize. With installations and module demand rising, developers and consumers should prioritize securing supplies to avoid project delays instead of focusing solely on near-term price movements.

Open Access Potential

Shridhar B. Kulkarni, Senior General Manager-Project at Bondada Engineering, said Telangana has significant potential for green energy open access. If consumers source 30% to 40% of their electricity requirements through open access, the demand could reach 1.7 GW to 2.2 GW, compared with 300 MW now.

However, policy-related constraints have limited deployment despite available demand.

Kulkarni said the renewable energy industry will require time to mature and stabilize, drawing parallels with the telecom sector, which faced similar challenges during its early development. Wider renewable energy adoption would require cooperation among consumers, power producers, and policymakers to address existing bottlenecks.

According to Kulkarni, open access deployment in Telangana remains limited to a few industries. He said the state could adopt best practices from neighboring states where open access models have been implemented more successfully.

He also cited the limited number of projects in the state. He said Bondada Engineering has undertaken engineering work for an approximately 75 MW project of Singareni Collieries Company and is involved in a roughly 2 MW captive project.

Manufacturing Capacity

Darshan Hegde, Key Accounts Manager, South India Sales & Marketing at Adani Solar, said the company recently commissioned an additional 6 GW of module manufacturing capacity. Its listed module manufacturing capacity now stands at around 11 GW, while cell capacity is approximately 4 GW. Hegde said another 6 GW of cell capacity is expected to be ramped up by December 2026 or January 2027, taking its cell manufacturing capacity to around 10 GW.

Hegde said India currently has around 33 GW to 34 GW of listed solar cell manufacturing capacity, which could increase to 60 GW to 65 GW by December. He cautioned that commissioning a cell manufacturing line is relatively straightforward, while stabilizing production is more challenging. New manufacturing capacity may therefore require time to achieve stable production as domestic demand increases.

According to Hegde, India’s solar module requirement was around 44 GW to 45 GW last year. He said solar installations rose from around 18 GW in the first half of the previous year to approximately 26 GW during the corresponding period this year. Monthly installations across India have also crossed 1 GW, indicating that module demand will continue to increase.

Securing Supplies

Given rising demand and the time required for new manufacturing capacity to stabilize, Hegde advised project developers and consumers to prioritize securing modules rather than focusing solely on prices. Securing supplies could help developers complete and commission projects on schedule and reduce exposure to potential supply constraints during the transition.

Hegde said Adani Solar offers a 30-year performance warranty and a 12-year product warranty on its modules.

Industry experts shared these views at Mercom India’s C&I Clean Energy Meet held in Hyderabad during a session titled ‘Switching to Renewable Energy and Optimizing Savings.’

The next Mercom India C&I Clean Energy Meet will be held in Vizag on September 24, 2026.