New solar installations in India this year will reach 9 GW, according to a new report from Mercom Capital Group.
The final total for new solar capacity in the country in 2016 is expected to be 4 GW, up from 2.3 GW in 2015, according to the report. Cumulative installations, including large-scale and rooftop projects, have already reached 9.6 GW.
The country’s solar development pipeline is now more than 14.2 GW, with about 6.3 GW of projects tendered and pending auction, according to the report.
Indian government agencies announced solar tenders of about 3,780 MW from September to December 2016, and auctioned about 1,311 MW.
Despite the strong forecast, Mercom CEO Raj Prabhu said there still are challenges to deployment in the market.
“Solar park development is experiencing some setbacks due to incomplete infrastructure,” Prabhu said in a statement. “In some cases, developers are incurring expenses to clean the land, build roads, and are waiting for power to be evacuated after commissioning. All of this is having a negative effect on project costs and profitability.”