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Half of 1,396-MW rooftop solar capacity added in FY17.

India had a rooftop solar capacity of 1,396 MW at the end March 2017, of which almost half was added in the previous financial year, according to a research report. Tamil Nadu had the highest rooftop solar capacity with 163 MW, followed by Maharashtra with 137 MW and Rajasthan with 88 MW. Gujarat had 87 MW, Karnataka 83 MW and Haryana 78 MW, according to the Rooftop Solar Map 2017 brought out by consultancy Bridge to India.

A total of 590 MW was installed on rooftops of industrial establishments. Homes and commercial establishments had 304 MW and 313 MW, respectively, while public sector units put up 189 MW.

Of the total, 1,157 MW of capacity was run by rooftop owners and the remaining 239 MW were on space leased to developers. The rooftop solar market is highly fragmented, according to figures provided along with the map, with about a third of the capacity held by two companies: CleanMax Solar with 24 per cent and Cleantech Solar with 11 per cent.  

Bridge to India expects 1,232 MW of rooftop solar capacity to be added in 2017-18. “The rooftop solar market is finally beginning to realise its potential,” said Vinay Rustagi, managing director. “The public sector segment is expected to show robust growth in coming years because of the strong government push, combined with 25-30 per cent capital subsidies.”