India has added 438 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in Q3 2020, a 114% increase compared to 205 MW installed in Q2 2020. Solar installations were down by 80% year-over-year (YoY) compared to 2,177 MW added in Q3 2019.

Solar installations in the first nine months (9M) of 2020 totaled 1.73 gigawatts (GW), a 68% decline compared to 5.48 GW added in the same period of 2019, Mercom Communications India research showed.

Large-scale installations totaled 283 MW compared to 120 MW in the previous quarter. Year-over-year, large-scale installation levels decreased by 85% compared to 1,932 MW installed in Q3 2019.

Rooftop solar installations accounted for 155 MW in Q3 2020, an increase of 82% compared to 85 MW installed in Q2 2020. Year-over-year, rooftop installations declined 37% compared to the 245 MW added in Q3 2019.

Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh were the top three states for solar capacity additions, representing around 63% of Q3 installations.

Key Highlights from Mercom India Research’s Q3 2020 India Solar Market Update

Solar installations in India in Q3 2020 totaled 438 MW, a 114% increase compared to 205 MW installed in Q2 2020; large-scale solar installations added up to 283 MW, while rooftop installations accounted for 155 MW
Solar installations in the first nine months (9M) of 2020 totaled 1.73 GW
Cumulative solar installed capacity in India reached 37.4 GW at the end of Q3 2020
The large-scale solar project pipeline in India stood at 44.7 GW, with another 34.6 GW of tendered capacity pending auctions at the end of Q3 2020
Solar accounted for 41% of new power capacity additions in 9M 2020
Electricity generated from solar in Q3 2020 crossed 13 billion units