India added 7.8 GW of open-access solar capacity in 2025, a 0.5% increase from 7.7 GW in 2024, according to the ‘Q4 and Annual 2025 India Solar Open Access Market Report’ from Mercom India. Cumulative open-access capacity exceeded 30 GW as of Dec. 31, 2025. ‘Solar open access demand remains strong, particularly from large industrial users and data centers seeking long-term tariff certainty while meeting sustainability goals,’ said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group. He added that while rising costs and tighter compliance requirements may affect near-term additions, underlying market drivers remain solid. Karnataka led installations in 2025 with more than 24% of annual additions, followed by Maharashtra at over 20% and Rajasthan at 18%.
in the fourth quarter of 2025, India installed 1.6 GW of open-access capacity, down 27% from 2.2 GW in the third quarter and more than 30% lower than the 2.3 GW installed in the fourth quarter of 2024.