India Adds 3.8 GW Solar Capacity in H1 2025, Rooftop Installations Surge

India added 3.8 gigawatts of solar open access capacity in the first half of 2025, slightly down from 3.9 GW in the same period last year, according to Mercom data. The second quarter alone contributed 2.7 GW, driven by developers rushing to meet the ISTS charges waiver deadline in June.

The slowdown in H1 2025 compared to last year was attributed to delays in connectivity approvals and limited transmission infrastructure in the first quarter. However, Maharashtra led additions in Q2 2025, accounting for over 30% of installations.

India’s cumulative solar open access capacity reached 24.6 GW by June 2025, with Karnataka leading at around 24% of total capacity, followed by Maharashtra (18%) and Tamil Nadu (12%). The pipeline of solar open access projects under development and in pre-construction stood at over 31 GW.

Rooftop solar installations also saw a significant jump in the first half of 2025. India added 2.8 GW of rooftop capacity, up 158% from 1.1 GW in H1 2024. In Q2 2025, 1.6 GW of rooftop solar was installed, a 33% increase from Q1, and more than 121% higher than the same quarter last year.

The surge was driven by the clearance of delayed registrations, commissioning of new systems, and improvements to the PM Suryaghar portal. Residential rooftop installations contributed over 74% of the total, followed by industrial (19%), commercial (6%), and government (0.5%) segments.

As of June 2025, India’s cumulative rooftop solar capacity stood at 16.5 GW, with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh among the top states.

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