India’s decentralized energy market is emerging as a major driver of clean power demand, supported by open-access policies, growing commercial and industrial (C&I) demand, and new business models that make renewable energy adoption easier for consumers.

India’s clean energy financing landscape has expanded significantly over the past decade, but investors are becoming more selective as the market matures, with capital shifting toward manufacturing, grid infrastructure, battery storage, and differentiated business models, panelists said at Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026.

A panel of experts at the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026 highlighted the availability of growing opportunities for domestic players to step up manufacturing of power transmission equipment with the rapid buildout of renewable energy in India.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy urged the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission to retain a separate deviation settlement mechanism for renewable energy projects, arguing that wind and solar generators should not be treated on par with conventional power plants due to their inherently variable generation.

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission approved seven deviations from the Ministry of Power’s firm and dispatchable renewable energy bidding guidelines for Rajasthan Solarpark Development Company’s tender to set up 2,450 MW solar and 1,600 MW/6,400 MWh battery energy storage projects at Pugal Solar Park in Bikaner.

Coal India announced the winners of its auction to develop a 20 MW floating solar project at Chilwa Taal in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The tender was issued in December 2025.

The Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company announced the winners of the auction for 800 MW of wind energy projects. The tender was floated in June last year.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation invited bids to set up 2.575 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects across 41 of its premises. Bids must be submitted by July 10, 2026. Bids will be opened on July 13. The rooftop systems will be installed in capacities ranging from 20 kW to 400 kW.

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company invited bids to set up 2,000 MW/4,000 MWh of battery energy storage systems (2-hour discharge, 1 cycle per day) connected to the State Transmission Utility under the Viability Gap Funding program.

The Indian Energy Exchange traded 37,534 million units of electricity in the first quarter of the financial year 2027, a 15.9% year-over-year (YoY) increase. During the quarter, India’s energy consumption reached 485.4 billion units, growing 8.8% YoY. Peak power demand touched an all-time high of 270.8 GW in May 2026 due to hotter than usual summer.

StarlinePS Enterprises announced it will invest ₹1.6 billion (~$17 million) in Celloraa Energy to set up a 1.2 GW Domestic Content Requirement-compliant N-Type TOPCon solar cell manufacturing facility in Surat, Gujarat.

Nesa Power Group, a South Africa-based C&I renewable energy company, secured R150 million (~$9 million) in mezzanine debt funding from Maia Capital Partners. Covington & Burling acted as legal counsel to Maia Capital Partners on the transaction.

Royal Vopak, a company that owns and operates infrastructure for the storage and handling of liquids and gases, acquired a 79% stake in Green Energy Storage and taken a final investment decision for a 200 MW/800 MWh battery energy storage project in Oosterhout, the Netherlands.