India installed 1.2GW of open-access solar (solar backed by private contracts) in 2021, from just 383MW added in 2020, according to a new report by Mercom India.

Fourth-quarter, open-access PV additions reached 298MW, up 75% year on year. Uttar Pradesh led the nation with 38% of the quarterly total.

“Robust policy and regulatory framework, including favorable banking policies, exemption of additional surcharges, the state’s willingness to allow group captive business models, access to useable land, and efficient power evacuation facilities, drove the open-access segment in the state [Uttar Pradesh],” said Mercom India.

The second-highest amount of capacity was installed in Maharashtra. The top five Indian states accounted for about 90% of all open-access installations in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Telangana recorded the maximum quarter-over-quarter growth of 329%, followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The nation surpassed 5GW of cumulative, “open-access” solar capacity in December 2021. Most of the new capacity was installed in the state of Uttar Pradesh, followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Karnataka continues to lead with 38% of the country’s cumulative open-access solar capacity.

The development pipeline for open-access solar projects stood at 1.5GW as of December. Three states – Karnataka, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh – accounted for 75% of the capacity.

“Mitigating carbon footprint, reducing the cost of power, renewable power purchase obligations, and RE100 initiatives, the list of reasons for commercial and industrial consumers to go green is piling up. The demand for open access solar is growing, reflected in the robust pipeline of projects,” said Priya Sanjay, managing director of Mercom India.