Rooftop solar installations fall 25 pc to 389 MW in Apr-Jun: Mercom India

Rooftop solar capacity installations in the country fell by 25 per cent to 389 MW during April-June 2022 compared to the year-ago period, according to Mercom India Research. In the second quarter of 2022, the rooftop solar accounted for 10 per cent of total solar installations. India's cumulative rooftop solar capacity was over 7.9 GW at the end of Q2 2022, the research firm's 'Rooftop Solar Market Report Q2 2022' said on Thursday.

In January-June, rooftop solar installed capacity was 2 per cent down at 845 MW over the same period of the last year.

"...supply chain issues and higher component costs and the basic customs duty took a toll on the market in the second quarter. Rooftop project costs have risen for six quarters in a row. But the economic case for rooftop solar is stronger than ever, and we expect the market to show strength going forward," said Raj Prabhu, the CEO of Mercom Capital Group.

The government has imposed a 40 per cent basic customs duty on solar modules and 25 per cent on solar cells with effect from April 1, 2022.

As per the report, Gujarat was the top state for cumulative rooftop solar installations, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

During the quarter, around 50 per cent of installations were in the industrial segment, followed by 35 per cent, 13 per cent, and 2 per cent in commercial, residential, and government segments, respectively.