Rooftop solar capacity installations in India fell 29 per cent to 320 megawatt (MW) in July-September 2022, according to Mercom Research India.
The country added 448 MW rooftop solar capacity in the same quarter a year ago, the research firm said in a report on Thursday.
During January-September, the installations at 1,165 MW were also down 11 per cent compared to 1,310 MW in the corresponding nine-month period of the last year, the report titled 'Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report Q3 2022' said.
In the third quarter of 2022, 46 per cent of rooftop solar capacity was installed in the industrial sector, followed by 32 per cent in residential, commercial 21 per cent and the remaining in the government sector.
According to the report, at the end of Q3 2022, cumulative rooftop solar installations reached 8.3 GW.
"We are seeing rooftop solar installations trending down as 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," said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group.
The tendering process increased 46 per cent year-on-year to around 311 MW of rooftop solar projects in July-September 2022, of which 33 per cent were announced by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency, 16 per cent by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and 51 per cent by other state agencies.
Gujarat became the leading state with the highest rooftop solar installations, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The top 10 states accounted for approximately 73 per cent of cumulative rooftop solar installations.
According to the statement, Mercom Research India is organising an industry meet for commercial and industrial consumers on December 9, 2022, in Noida, Uttar Pradesh to create awareness about solar energy adoption.