India added 521 MW of rooftop solar in the second quarter of 2021, recording a more than 50% growth QoQ. The country could manage to install 341 MW in Q1 2021, according to a recent report. India added only 85 MW in Q2 2020, marking a 500%+ growth YoY. This accounted for the largest capacity additions in India. The largest additions came from the western state of Gujarat. Though India was still in lockdown in many areas, the country was well-prepared in the quarter. Rooftop solar growth was driven by rising demand and limiting the net-metering cap in the latest quarter. India installed a total of 862 MW of rooftop solar capacity in the first half of 2021, a 210% increase compared to the same period of last year. These installations were way ahead of 2020 installations when the country was badly hit by the coronavirus situation.
Unorganized policy-making in the rooftop solar segment and lack of discom support act as major headwinds for rooftop solar growth in India. But it is being projected that 2021 could be a landmark year for India so far, in terms of rooftop installations after FY2018, given the country does not face any new wave of COVID-19 infections. Also, read about 5 Tips For Making Greener Investments.
On the other side, 39 mining projects are running behind schedule for Coal India mainly due to delays in getting green clearances. CIL is targeting one billion tonne coal production in the year 2023-24 to meet the coal demand of the country. CIL accounts for 80% of the country’s coal output. However, fuel supply by CIL from April to August also increased by 27% versus the year-ago period.