Rooftop solar

New rooftop solar power capacity (rooftop) installed in India declined by 29 per cent to 320 MW during the July-September quarter. This information has been given in a report by Mercom Research India. In the released report, it was told that 448 MW of new rooftop solar capacity was added in the same quarter a year ago. The report is titled – ‘Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report 3rd Quarter 2022’.

Rooftop Solar

• Rooftop solar is a photovoltaic system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure.
• Rooftop mounted systems are small compared to ground-mounted photovoltaic power stations with capacities in the megawatt range.
• Rooftop PV systems on residential buildings typically feature a capacity of about 5 to 20 kilowatts (kW), while those mounted on commercial buildings often reach 100 kilowatts or more.

Research findings

• At the end of Q3 2022, cumulative rooftop solar (RTS) installations reached 8.3 GW.
• Gujarat became the leading state with the highest rooftop solar installations, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
• The top 10 states accounted for approximately 73% of cumulative rooftop solar installations.
• During January-September, the installations at 1,165 MW were also down 11% compared with 1,310 MW in the corresponding nine-month period of 2021.
• Solar installations are trending down because their costs have risen.
• The market is struggling with supply issues because of the Approved List of Module and Manufacturers (ALMM), and installers are finding it a tough environment to operate in overall.

Schemes for Promoting Solar Energy

Rooftop Solar Scheme

• To generate solar power by installing solar panels on the roof of the houses, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is implementing Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Scheme (Phase II).
• It aims to achieve a cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar Projects by 2022.

Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan

• The scheme covers grid-connected Renewable Energy power plants (0.5 – 2 MW)/Solar water pumps/grid connected agriculture pumps.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• The ISA, is an Indian initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30th November 2015 in Paris, France on the side-lines of the Conference of the Parties (COP-21), with 121 solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn as prospective members.

One Sun, One World, One Grid

• It has been taken up under the technical assistance program of the World Bank. Its objective is to aid in developing a worldwide grid through which clean energy can be transmitted anywhere, anytime.
• National Solar Mission (A part of National Action Plan on Climate Change).