India may add 1,875 megawatts (MW) of new rooftop solar capacity in the commercial and industrial sectors in 2021, an increase of 47% over the previous year. As of 2020, India has deployed 7,920 megawatts of rooftop solar capacity, of which at least 75% of the installation is completed in the commercial and industrial sectors.

Due to the Covid pandemic, the rate of new roof installations in the commercial and industrial sectors will be affected in 2020. However, as new generation technologies make rooftop solar more cost-effective for companies looking to cut power costs, deployment is expected to rebound this year. “For consumers who want to optimize electricity costs or increase renewable energy purchases, the adoption of on-site [rooftop] solar solutions is a low-hanging fruit,” said Vibhuti Garg, IEEFA energy economist and head of India. “The pandemic has increased The price sensitivity of industrial and commercial consumers who have paid higher tariffs to cross-subsidize agricultural and residential consumers. Saving electricity bills is absolutely crucial for them."

The falling prices of photovoltaic modules and batteries make the transition to photovoltaic installations more attractive. "The prices of solar modules and batteries have fallen, and with the government's new production-linked incentive (PLI) program to promote domestic solar manufacturing, the price of solar technology is expected to fall further," Garg said. Other factors that are expected to promote the use of rooftop solar for C&I consumers are easier financing options and companies that want to switch to 100% renewable energy to meet their RE100 commitments.

Module trend

The C&I department is exploring double-sided and large-chip, high-wattage (400+/500+Wp) modules to optimize cost and maximize output (kWh/m2), especially for sites with limited space. The IEEFA-JMK report provides a case study of projects applying these emerging technologies in India.

Jyoti Gulia, founder and lead author of JMK Research, said: "Some of these solutions, such as higher wattage modules and bifacial modules, provide considerable added value in terms of power generation." The high-wattage modules increase the factory's power generation by 1%, while reducing the cost of system balance (PV system components other than modules) by 1%. These advantages are particularly important for sites with limited space.

“As determined in the report’s case study, the total power generation of bifacial modules has increased by 4-5% compared to projects equipped with single-sided modules, thereby reducing the level of energy cost (LCOE),” said Gulia .

Battery prices fall

Battery storage, the integration of solar photovoltaic and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are other accelerating trends.

The report predicts that the integration of battery storage in rooftop projects will accelerate as the price of batteries drops sharply to US$100/kWh by 2023. There is also a huge opportunity for rooftop solar + battery energy storage systems (BESS) to replace diesel generator sets, which have a total capacity of 90GW in post-instrument applications in India.

According to Gabrielle Kuiper, Distributed Energy (DER) expert at IEEFA, other emerging field technology models that Indian developers may explore include rooftop solar integration with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and the use of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

 "Government policy initiatives are already driving the adoption of electric vehicles," Kuiper said. "Combining rooftop solar energy with energy storage and electric vehicles is a cost-effective solution. BIPV is for those planning to set up new commercial buildings and offices in India. Companies provide an attractive long-term opportunity."Editor/Baohongying