India added a record 15.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity during the January-March quarter of 2026, marking the highest-ever quarterly installation and sharply accelerating the country’s renewable energy expansion ahead of key policy deadlines and transmission-linked incentives.
According to Mercom India’s Q1 2026 India Solar Market Update Report, solar installations surged 143 per cent year-on-year from 6.3 GW in Q1 2025 and rose 49 per cent sequentially from 10.3 GW added during the previous quarter.
The surge made solar the dominant source of new electricity capacity additions in the country, accounting for 77 per cent of the 19.9 GW total power capacity added during the quarter.
The record addition comes at a time when India is racing to expand renewable energy capacity amid rising electricity demand, energy transition targets and growing pressure to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Large-scale solar projects accounted for 12.6 GW of installations during the quarter, contributing 82 per cent of total solar additions. Utility-scale installations rose 147 per cent year-on-year and 55 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
Open access projects accounted for 21 per cent of large-scale solar capacity additions during the quarter.
The report said developers accelerated project commissioning ahead of the implementation of ALMM List-II from June 2026 and the next phase of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) waiver reductions.
The commissioning rush was also driven by concerns over limited domestic DCR cell availability and rising module procurement costs under the upcoming domestic sourcing framework.
Execution under the PM-KUSUM programme and improved transmission readiness in major solar states also supported installations.
As of March 2026, India’s cumulative installed solar capacity stood at 152 GW.
Solar energy now contributes 28 per cent of India’s total installed power capacity and 55 per cent of the country’s installed renewable energy capacity, underlining its growing role in the electricity mix.
Large-scale projects accounted for 85 per cent of cumulative installed solar capacity, while rooftop solar contributed the remaining 15 per cent.
Rajasthan continued to lead India’s utility-scale solar market with 32 per cent share in cumulative installed capacity, followed by Gujarat at 21 per cent and Karnataka at 11 per cent.
During the quarter, Gujarat and Rajasthan together accounted for nearly 79 per cent of all large-scale solar additions, contributing around 40 per cent and 39 per cent respectively. Maharashtra ranked third with a 6 per cent share.
Despite the record commissioning activity, fresh project pipeline additions remained weak.
Solar tender announcements during Q1 stood at just 3 GW, down 68 per cent year-on-year, although they doubled sequentially.
Auctioned solar capacity also declined sharply to 4 GW during the quarter, falling 64 per cent year-on-year and 47 per cent sequentially.
The report said average costs of large-scale solar projects using TOPCon DCR modules declined nearly 1 per cent quarter-on-quarter but remained 6 per cent higher than year-ago levels.
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