Solar power growth dips in H1

Kolkata: The growth rate of solar power generation has declined to 32 per cent, compared to 86 per cent growth recorded in H1 2018, thanks to the decreased pace of solar capacity addition in the first half of 2019 to 3.2 GW against over 5 GW in the same period of 2018. This is notwithstanding the fact that solar energy generation also witnessed a growth of 7 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) from the 11.4 billion units generated in the Q1 2019, a recent report by Mercom Capital Group, indicated.

The report said solar power generation in the country peaked in the summer months of March, April, and May of 2019 with over 4 BUs.

Although things are nothing to write home about, when it comes to capacity addition in the first half of the year, the overall scenario in the solar sector in the country still seems to be bright.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, solar accounted for nearly 31.5 GW of the total installed capacity, representing 8.73 per cent of the total installed capacity at the end of June 2019.

 According to the data released by the Central Electricity Authority, solar power generation in the second quarter (Q2) of calendar year 2019 increased by 29 per cent year-on-year to 12,277 million units (MUs) compared to Q2 2018 during which approximately 9,514 MUs were generated by solar projects.

“India’s transition towards renewable energy presents an incredible opportunity but also serious challenges. Solar project developers continue to face curtailment issues in states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, the Mercom report said.