Now Reading: India adds record 27 GW solar capacity in H1 2026
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India adds record 27 GW solar capacity in H1 2026
India installed a record 27 GW of solar capacity in the first half of 2026, a 50% rise from the 18 GW added in H1 2025, according to Mercom India Research. Solar accounted for 76% of the 36 GW of new power capacity added in the period. Large-scale projects made up 83% of cumulative solar capacity of 165 GW as of June 2026.
pv-magazine.com reports that developers accelerated projects ahead of policy changes including the June 1 ALMM List-II for solar cells and a reduction in the ISTS charge waiver in July. CEO Raj Prabhu warned that grid bottlenecks and domestic cell shortages could slow future additions. The Times of India quotes industry leaders who say the cell shortage is temporary, with manufacturing capacity expected to rise from 32 GW to about 100 GW by December 2027.
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra led utility-scale additions in Q2 2026. Mercom's report says 12 GW was added in Q2 alone, the second-highest quarterly figure. ICRA estimates module capacity could cross 165 GW by March 2027, but warns of possible consolidation among smaller makers.
Indian Opinion Analysis
pv-magazine.com leads with the record figure and CEO warnings about grid and cell bottlenecks, framing the growth as possibly unsustainable. The Times of India leads with industry assurances that the cell shortage is a short-term transition and that capacity will triple by 2027, giving heavy weight to manufacturer and analyst optimism. Each source overstates its preferred emphasis: pv-magazine treats the bottlenecks as current brakes, while The Times of India treats them as solved by future investment. The measured read is that record installations are real, but the pace faces real near-term constraints that policy and capacity additions may or may not resolve before the next cycle.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): pv-magazine.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
