By Tarun Khurana, Partner, Loop Solar, 7 October 2019, New Delhi

Before we get into the dynamics of India’s rooftop solar market, let us first look at the basics of power demand in the country. Demand for power in India can broadly be categorized into four segments — industrial, commercial, residential and agriculture. Commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers pay the highest power tariffs and account for the largest share of the overall demand. By contrast, residential and agricultural power tariffs are often subsidized. As rooftop solar adoption is primarily driven by economic viability, C&I consumers have been responsible for a bulk of the rooftop solar installation capacity till date.

Residential rooftop solar market, on the other hand, has been small, and its installation ecosystem fragmented. However, this status quo may be about to change in 2020.

Key reasons why 2020 will be the breakout year for residential solar are: