The total capacity of solar power plants has crossed the 3,000-MW mark, with 734 MW added so far this year, says a report of Mercom Capital Group, a clean energy consultancy.

Mercom expects the installations in the current calendar year to be 800 MW, which is 20 per cent lower than the previous year.

However, the consultancy has projected that 2015 will see 1,800 MW of solar capacity being set up in the country.

Industry watchers have observed that the next few years will see an upswing in installations, given the projects currently being signed-up for under the several recent state programmes. Since the end of last month, three states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana) have concluded their own bidding processes and are getting ready to sign power purchase agreements for 1,500 MW. In the meantime, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced its second draft guidelines for its next project-award round, where the targets have been doubled to 3,000 MW.

Mercom’s figures speak of the large (utility scale) projects, another consultancy, Bridge To India, recently said in its report that the country has 285 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar power plants.

That would put the total solar capacity in the state at 3,300 MW, not counting the non-grid connected solar power plants, and other solar-based applications such as solar water pumps, industrial heating systems and residential and industrial water heating systems.

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