MENA Weekly Round-Up: Kuwait Selects Developer for 1.1 GW Solar Project

Dimension Energy Secures $857 Million for Distributed Solar Growth

Energy Storage Developer Hydrostor Secures $230 Million Equity Funding

Gujarat Seeks Consultants to Finalize Intrastate GNA Regulations

NextEnergy UK I Acquires 107 MW Battery Storage Portfolio in the UK

Kinematics Acquires Solar Tracker Solutions Provider RenuTrak

Powertrac to Build 10 GWh Battery Storage Manufacturing Facility in Gujarat

Rooftop Solar Project to Help Textile Facility Save ₹63 Million Annually

Recurrent Energy Secures $695 Million for 330 MW California Solar Project

Clean Energy Growth Opens New Opportunities Across the Value Chain

<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/amazon_polly_103241.mp3?version=1787031336">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table>Energy-intensive commercial and industrial (C&amp;I) consumers are expanding solar capacity as rising grid tariffs, proven savings, easier financing, and sustainability targets strengthen the business case.
India<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/solar-open-access-installations-in-india-surge-160-yoy-to-2-7-gw" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> added</a> 2.7 GW of solar open access capacity in the first quarter of 2026, up 160% year-over-year and 55% quarter-over-quarter.
Industry experts said repeat orders are shortening sales cycles, improving revenue visibility, and strengthening solar EPC order books. Savings, financing, policy stability, approvals, available space, electrical infrastructure, and sanctioned load are among the key factors influencing expansion.
Repeat Demand and Capacity Expansion
Rahul Kodali, Managing Director at <a href="https://vyomaa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vyomaa Energy</a>, said repeat demand is coming from energy-intensive sectors such as iron and steel, cement, aluminum, fertilizers, petrochemicals, refining, textiles, and pulp and paper, where electricity costs directly affect margins.
Customers with rooftop systems installed three to five years ago are now expanding after seeing reliable generation, lower bills, and limited operational issues. Sustainability commitments and compliance requirements are also supporting adoption.
Several companies have already scaled up capacity after seeing the benefits of their initial projects.
Steel wire manufacturer NR Wire commissioned a 4,008-kW solar project in January 2024. By March 2026, it had generated 25.55 million kWh and saved more than ₹178.82 million (~$1.87 million) in electricity costs. The company has since expanded its solar capacity to 10 MW.
Nahar Fiber commissioned a 3 MW solar project in July 2024. By March 2026, it had generated 6.94 million kWh and saved more than ₹48.58 million (~$509,557). Its solar capacity has since increased to about 21 MW.
Maniram Steel commissioned a 1 MW solar project in September 2023. By March 2026, it had generated 3.84 million kWh and saved more than ₹26.86 million (~$281,797). The company has since expanded its capacity to roughly 2.9 MW.
Other examples include Punjab-based rice exporter TLG Agro Traders, which now has a 1.6 MW rooftop system, and Pune-based JAL Precision Products, which increased its solar capacity from 500 kW to 4.5 MW.
Return on Investment
Industry experts say besides savings and fast return on investment, companies are also trying to become sustainable in their operations.
Divanshu Gupta, Business Unit Head, C&amp;I and Rooftop Solar at <a href="https://hartek.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hartek Group</a>, said sustainability and emissions reduction are becoming increasingly important alongside commercial returns.
Kodali said, “It is primarily a strategic business decision. Customers see where grid tariffs are headed and recognize that solar provides long-term cost visibility, reducing grid dependence, lowering average power costs, and hedging against future increases.”
Several C&amp;I consumers have reported payback periods of around three years, strengthening the case for repeat investments.
Hanish Gupta, Founder and Managing Director at <a href="https://www.sunkind.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunkind Energy</a>, said confidence in the EPC provider also encourages customers to expand.
Increasing Investments and Capacity
Kodali said customers increasingly view solar as long-term infrastructure.
“The mindset has shifted from ‘let us try solar’ to ‘how much can we optimize through solar?’” he said.
Divanshu Gupta said predictable returns and long-term reliability are making customers more comfortable with larger investments, particularly at manufacturing facilities where energy costs are a significant operating expense.
Green financing and attractive lending terms have also eased capital constraints. Customers are increasingly evaluating projects based on lifecycle economics, payback periods, and long-term cost visibility.
However, expansion depends heavily on initial project design. Greenfield sites can generally add capacity in phases, while brownfield facilities often face constraints related to roof area, approved load, electrical infrastructure, and shadow-free space.
Hartek, for example, commissioned a 4.2 MW rooftop system for a Punjab-based forging company four years ago and is now developing a 29 MW captive open access project for the same customer.
Constraints and Policy Requirements
Kodali said expansion can be limited by approved load, consumption, roof area, structural strength, shadowing, cable routing, and grid evacuation feasibility.
He said developers should account for future expansion in the initial design, even when the full potential capacity is not installed in the first phase.
The first installation claims the best surfaces, and phase two inherits what remains. Beyond space, transformer capacity limitations, electrical infrastructure upgrades, and sanctioned load restrictions create bottlenecks that were never anticipated at the design stage, Gupta said.
Both Kodali and Gupta called for streamlined distribution company approvals and greater policy stability.
Kodali suggested allowing consumers to increase solar capacity to 120% to 130% of contracted demand through a simple amendment instead of revising approved load. He also called for net metering or a fair net feed-in mechanism for high-tension consumers, with banking rules, charges, and settlement mechanisms fixed for the tenure of the power purchase agreement.
Gupta said uniform captive and net metering regulations across states would ease compliance for multi-state operators. Greater flexibility in approved-load revisions would also help.
For installers, repeat business lowers customer acquisition costs, reduces sales cycles, and cuts project uncertainty. Familiarity with sites and customer requirements also lowers execution effort.
Actual Savings Versus Projections
Kodali said annual savings generally align with projections, although monthly performance varies with generation and consumption.
Gupta said well-designed projects increasingly meet or exceed projected savings. Higher module efficiency, better inverter performance, and real-time monitoring have improved energy yields, while rising grid tariffs have increased the value of self-generated electricity and shortened payback periods.
Hanish Gupta said savings vary by tariff and the share of grid power replaced by solar, but recurring reductions in electricity bills are encouraging customers to invest in additional capacity.
Rising Referrals
Kodali said referrals from satisfied C&amp;I customers are becoming increasingly important, particularly within industrial clusters and sectors where peer recommendations influence investment decisions.
Gupta said referrals are among Hartek’s strongest business development channels. Project heads, procurement teams, and chief financial officers increasingly rely on peer experiences and reference sites to assess generation, savings, execution quality, long-term performance, and after-sales support.

Solar Savings Turn First-Time C&I Buyers into Repeat Customers

<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/amazon_polly_81046.mp3?version=1750759057">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><a href="https://vyomaa.com/usa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vyomaa Energy</a> and <a href="https://www.sunandasolar.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunanda Solar Energy</a> have won Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (<a href="https://www.seci.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SECI</a>) auction to install 2,112 kW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) mode.
Vyomaa will install 335 kW at a tariff of ₹4.47 (~$0.051)/kWh at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Delhi, and 1,200 kW at a tariff of ₹4.19 (~$0.048)/kWh at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut.
Sunanda will install 177 kW at a tariff of ₹4.43 (~$0.051)/kWh at the National Sanskrit University, Tirupati, and 400 kW at a tariff of ₹3.62 (~$0.041)/kWh at the National Institute of Technology, Raipur.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-81047 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seci-table-.png" alt="" width="650" height="285" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seci-table-.png 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seci-table--300x132.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seci-table--624x274.png 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/seci-table--600x263.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" />
The tender was <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/seci-2-mw-rooftop-solar-four-cities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floated</a> in December last year.
The Scheduled Commissioning Date (SCD) for projects’ full capacity will be nine months from the date of the power purchase agreement(PPA). The maximum time allowed for commissioning the full project capacity, with applicable penalties, will be up to six months from the SCD or the extended SCD.
The successful bidders must obtain a no-objection certificate from the distribution company concerned for grid connectivity, as well as the design, engineering, supply, storage, civil work, erection, testing, and commissioning.
They must operate and maintain the solar systems during the duration of the PPA. Only commercially established and operational technologies must be used to minimize the technology risk and achieve timely system installation.
The modules used in the project must be included in the latest Approved List of Models and Manufacturers issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable .
In the first quarter of 2015, India <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/india-adds-1-2-gw-of-rooftop-solar-capacity-in-q1-2025-a-232-yoy-growth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> 1.2 GW of rooftop solar capacity, up 232% year-over-year from 366.5 MW. Installations declined 6.2% from 1.3 GW in the previous quarter, according to Mercom India Research’s newly released Q1 2025 India Rooftop Solar Market Report.
In April, SECI <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/seci-tenders-6-25-mw-rooftop-solar-projects-in-six-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a request for selection to develop grid-connected rooftop solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 6.25 MW. These projects will be implemented on a build-own-operate basis.
Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker </a>to stay on top of real-time tender activity.

Vyomaa Energy, Sunanda Solar Bag SECI’s 2.1 MW Rooftop Solar Auction

vyomaa

Get the most relevant India solar and clean energy news.

RECENT POSTS