India installed 7.8 GW of open-access (off-site commercial and industrial) capacity in 2025, a marginal increase of 0.5% compared to the 7.7 GW installed in 2024, according to a newly released report by Mercom India, Q4 & Annual 2025 India Solar Open Access Market Report. With this, the nation’s cumulative open access solar capacity surpassed 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.
Mercom expects installations to grow at a higher rate in 2026, although the market is evolving. “Developers are prioritizing projects with clear regulatory visibility, stable load profiles, and credible offtakers. Rising costs, tighter compliance requirements, and execution constraints will influence the pace of additions in the near term. However, the underlying drivers remain solid, and as infrastructure and regulatory clarity improve, open access is positioned for sustained growth,” said Prabhu.
Karnataka led open-access solar installations in 2025, accounting for more than 24% of annual capacity additions. Maharashtra and Rajasthan followed, contributing over 20% and 18%, respectively, to the annual capacity additions.
In Q4 2025, India installed 1.6 GW of open-access solar capacity, down about 27% from the 2.2 GW added in Q3 2025 and more than 30% lower than the 2.3 GW installed in Q4 2024.
“Installations in the fourth quarter (Q4) declined because many projects originally scheduled for the second half of 2025 were completed earlier and commissioned before the ISTS charge waiver expired in June. This early execution reduced the number of projects available for commissioning later in the year,” stated the report.
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat led Q4 2025 installations, contributing 27%, 22%, and 17%, respectively to capacity additions.
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