PVTIME – According to market research firm Mercom, India recorded a historic 15.3GW of solar capacity additions in Q1 2026. This figure exceeds the 6.3GW recorded in Q1 2025 by 143% year-on-year, and the 10.3GW recorded in Q4 2025 by 49%. It also represents the country’s highest ever quarterly solar installation figure.
Mercom attributes this surge to developers accelerating project commissioning in order to beat policy changes and reduced transmission waivers. Large-scale, ground-mounted projects led the growth, contributing 12.6GW (82% of the total additions in Q1), marking a 55% increase quarter-on-quarter and a 147% increase year-on-year. Open access projects accounted for 21% of this segment.
Key drivers include the upcoming implementation in June 2026 of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) Category II. Concerns over tight domestic DCR cell supply and rising module costs have prompted developers to fast-track commissioning under the current framework. This is in addition to increased deployment under India’s PM-KUSUM scheme, as well as a rush to complete open access projects before cuts to the ISTS waiver come into effect.
India added a total power capacity of 19.9GW in Q1 2026, 77% of which was solar. As of March 2026, cumulative solar capacity had reached 152GW (85% large-scale and 15% rooftop), representing 28% of India’s total installed capacity and 55% of its renewable energy capacity.
Rajasthan remains the top state for cumulative large-scale solar capacity (32% of the national total), followed by Gujarat (21%) and Karnataka (11%). In Q1 2026, Gujarat and Rajasthan led new installations with 40% and 39% respectively, while Maharashtra came in third with 6%.
According to Mercom, the average cost of large-scale projects using TOPCon DCR modules fell by almost 1% quarter-on-quarter, but increased by 6% year-on-year. According to its State of Solar PV Manufacturing in India 2026 report, in 2025 India added 119GW of solar module and over 9GW of solar cell manufacturing capacity, taking cumulative capacities to 210GW and 27GW respectively by December 2025.
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