Daily News Wrap-Up: India’s Transmission Plan Faces Execution Test

EU Solar-Storage Jobs Near 1 Million Mark, Manufacturing Employment Dips

PetroGreen Subsidiaries Secure $20 Million for 40 MW Solar Project

Fengate Asset Management Closes Acquisition of Accelergen Energy

Kanpur Packaging Manufacturer Installs Rooftop Solar to Cut Power Costs

TERI Announces Winner of 115 MWh Battery Storage Auction

Power Ministry Revises RoW Compensation Rules for Transmission Lines

MERC Allows Net Metering with Open Access for Rooftop Solar Project

Over 8,500 European Solar, Wind Systems Found Vulnerable to Cyber Risks

Punjab Energy Development Agency Floats Tender for Solar Projects

<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/2026/09/amazon_polly_105982.mp3?version=1791181176">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table>Uttar Pradesh’s clean energy market is increasingly being shaped by rooftop solar, open access, captive procurement, and emerging storage demand as businesses look for ways to manage electricity costs, improve reliability, and meet sustainability targets.
Uttar Pradesh had 12.9 GW of renewable energy capacity as of June 2026. Open access projects account for 30.7% of Uttar Pradesh’s total installed solar capacity, while rooftop installations account for another 37.4%. Together, the two segments represent 68.1% of the state’s solar capacity.
Against this backdrop, Mercom India will host two industry events in Lucknow to connect companies across the renewable energy supply chain with businesses evaluating clean energy procurement.
On October 8, 2026, Mercom will host the <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/re-buyer-seller-meet-2026-lucknow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RE Buyer Seller Meet</a>, where manufacturers and solution providers can engage with EPC companies, installers, dealers, distributors, developers, and other companies involved in renewable energy procurement and project execution. Participants can present products and technologies, discuss procurement requirements, identify channel partners, and develop business relationships.
On October 9, 2026, Mercom India will host the <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/c-and-i-clean-energy-meet-2026-lucknow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C&amp;I Clean Energy Meet</a>, designed specifically for commercial and industrial energy (C&amp;I) consumers. The event will connect C&amp;I businesses with clean energy developers, solution providers, financiers, technology companies, consultants, and other stakeholders to evaluate rooftop solar, open access, captive power, energy storage, financing, and other clean energy options.
C&amp;I Demand Expands
C&amp;I consumers are becoming an increasingly important source of solar demand in Uttar Pradesh.
Food processing units and cold storage facilities are among the segments seeing increased adoption of C&amp;I rooftop solar in Central Uttar Pradesh. These businesses typically have substantial daytime electricity requirements, creating a use case for on-site solar generation.
Residential installations under the PM Surya Ghar program continue to account for a large part of rooftop demand, while these commercial segments are emerging as additional sources of demand. Improved distribution company support for net metering, connectivity, inspections, and approvals has also reduced some execution challenges.
At the larger end of the market, industrial expansion and data center development are expected to create additional renewable electricity demand.
According to Durgesh Kumar Gupta, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Development, Regulatory, and Corporate Affairs at Onward Solar, Uttar Pradesh has become relatively more supportive of renewable energy development, with improved regulatory processes, land availability, consumer demand, and government support for captive and group captive projects. A captive renewable energy project is also under development in the state, where the project environment has been relatively supportive. Growing investment activity, including development linked to the state’s data center policy, is further strengthening demand for renewable power.
Businesses are evaluating rooftop solar, open access, captive and group captive renewable power, and other procurement structures as they assess electricity costs and long-term energy requirements.
Revised Green Energy Open Access provisions are providing greater procedural clarity for C&amp;I consumers considering renewable power procurement.
An open access developer said the revised framework has reduced some compliance requirements and provided greater clarity on application and State Load Despatch Centre registration fees. Removing the mandatory check meter requirement at voltage levels up to 650 V can reduce metering requirements and shorten project execution timelines.
Clearer application and registration provisions provide greater certainty for Green Energy Open Access Consumers managing multiple consumers under a common arrangement. However, minimum fees can increase initial administrative costs for smaller consumers, while fresh applications and applicable fees for changing the green energy source can reduce procurement flexibility.
Captive and group captive structures are also gaining relevance for industrial consumers, requiring careful planning around ownership, consumption, and compliance requirements.
Gupta said captive verification directly affects captive status, electricity savings, open access economics, surcharge liability, and overall project viability. Increasing adoption of renewable energy, battery storage, and group captive structures makes alignment between project design, ownership structures, consumption requirements, and regulations increasingly important.
Changes to the captive verification framework also bring energy storage systems within the captive consumption structure, increasing their relevance for renewable energy plus storage and hybrid captive arrangements.
Storage Gains Relevance
Energy storage is beginning to find a place in Uttar Pradesh’s rooftop and C&amp;I clean energy market as consumers seek backup power, greater energy independence, and improved reliability.
A rooftop solar installer in the state said battery storage demand is gradually increasing, with the suitability and size of storage depending on power outage duration, electricity consumption patterns, and available solar generation. Conventional on-grid rooftop systems can be less suitable for consumers experiencing longer power cuts, creating a use case for battery storage and hybrid configurations.
Higher costs remain an important consideration. However, hybrid systems can serve consumers requiring solar generation combined with backup power.
Another Uttar Pradesh installer said hybrid rooftop solar and storage systems are gaining gradual acceptance as consumers become more aware of backup requirements and energy independence. Hybrid systems and inverter solutions are seeing growing acceptance, and storage integration could become a larger component of rooftop installations.
Gupta said renewable energy procurement is increasingly shifting toward solar-wind hybrid, solar-plus-storage, and solar-wind-storage configurations as consumers seek a more reliable, longer-duration clean power supply. Battery storage can extend renewable electricity availability beyond variable generation periods, although adding storage reduces some of the historical cost advantage of renewable power over conventional electricity.
The widening range of applications creates opportunities for battery manufacturers, hybrid inverter suppliers, energy management companies, system integrators, and EPC firms.
Quality and Execution Become More Important
Rapid expansion of the rooftop solar market has increased competition among installers. A large vendor base has intensified pricing pressure and contributed to variations in system pricing, which can affect equipment selection, engineering, installation standards, and inspection practices.
A rooftop solar installer said intensifying competition among vendors is creating significant variations in system prices. Cost-sensitive projects can receive limited inspections, while poorly installed mounting structures can increase operational risks.
Another installer said inverter and balance-of-system failures often stem from incorrect system design, unsuitable equipment selection, and poor installation practices. The growing participation of inexperienced installers increases the risk of projects being executed without adequate technical assessment, affecting system reliability and long-term performance.
Reliable rooftop solar systems require appropriate AC and DC sizing, cable selection based on current requirements, proper earthing, and accurate system configuration. Cable sizing and electrical calculations become particularly important for larger C&amp;I rooftop projects because incorrect component selection can directly affect system performance and reliability.
These challenges increase the importance of reliable equipment, technical support, experienced EPC partners, and after-sales services.

Rooftop Solar, Open Access Shape Uttar Pradesh’s Growing Clean Energy Market

<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/2026/09/amazon_polly_105930.mp3?version=1790744659">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table>Uttar Pradesh is steadily tapping the commercial and industrial (C&amp;I) renewable energy market with policy initiatives focused on regulatory simplification and continued investments in grid infrastructure. Fuelled by expanding industrial demand, the state has positioned itself as a high-potential market for utility-scale solar and open access segments.
During the second quarter (Q2) of financial year 2026, Uttar Pradesh commissioned 345.9 MW of solar capacity, ranking it sixth among states in utility-scale solar capacity additions. Open access projects contributed 67.6% of these additions, driven by increasing C&amp;I demand from industries such as cement, steel, manufacturing, and other energy-intensive sectors seeking lower power costs and greater energy price visibility.
With 7.2 GW of solar projects under development, the state has a vast pool of opportunities. At the same time, challenges around land availability, transmission connectivity, project approvals, banking flexibility, and grid reliability often deter developers and contractors from exploring such opportunities.
Mercom India&#8217;s <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/re-buyer-seller-meet-2026-lucknow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lucknow Renewable Energy Buyer Seller Meet</a> and <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/event/c-and-i-clean-energy-meet-2026-lucknow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C&amp;I Clean Energy Meet</a> are scheduled for October 8 and 9 in Lucknow, respectively, and aim to bring renewable energy developers, EPC players, and energy consumers together to share insights on procurement models, technologies, policy, and financing.
Policy Push
As of June 2026, Uttar Pradesh’s cumulative renewable energy capacity rose to 12.9 GW, up 18.5% quarter-over-quarter from 10.9 GW. Accounting for 17.2% of the state’s total installed power capacity, solar capacity reached 7 GW.
Its open access market continues to expand, with cumulative solar open access capacity reaching 2.3 GW in June 2026, accounting for 6.2% of India’s total solar open access capacity.
The figures paint a promising picture of the state’s renewable energy plans, supported by a series of regulatory changes in recent years.
The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission&#8217;s (UPERC) decision to revise the Green Energy Open Access regulations has paved the way for fewer compliance requirements and improved cost transparency for consumers. Eliminating the mandatory requirement for check meters at voltage levels up to 650 V can lower upfront metering costs and shorten project execution timelines, while allowing consumers to opt for additional metering support when needed.
In 2026, UPERC proposed a new State Grid Code covering renewable energy, energy storage systems (ESS), captive plants, and open access consumers. Key provisions included a renewable energy trial run and commercial operation date (COD) requirements, State Load Despatch Center forecasting, must-run status for solar and wind, formal curtailment procedures, and integrating renewable capacity plans into transmission planning.
The proposed grid code is expected to improve renewable energy integration by creating a more structured framework for solar, wind, hybrid projects, ESS, captive plants, and open access consumers. Features like trial runs and COD requirements can improve project commissioning discipline and provide greater regulatory certainty for developers.
The state recently rolled out the Data Center Policy, 2026, which targets 50% renewable energy consumption by new data centers by 2030. The policy offers data centers a 75% exemption on wheeling and transmission charges for 25 years for power sourced from renewable energy projects within the state.
While significant data center capacity is yet to come up in the state, companies have announced plans to set up units that require uninterrupted clean energy in cities such as Lucknow and Noida. The state’s policy initiatives can make long-term renewable power procurement more attractive for large data center consumers, support greater demand for captive and third-party open access projects, and improve visibility for developers looking to build renewable capacity around large C&amp;I loads.
Open Access Potential
Uttar Pradesh is emerging as an attractive open access market, supported by regulatory simplification, expanding industrial demand, and continued investment in grid infrastructure.
For C&amp;I consumers in the state, the economics of renewable open access is supported by the lowering of wheeling charges, although transmission charges have increased.
For FY 2026-27, C&amp;I electricity tariffs remained unchanged across voltage levels. Wheeling charges declined by 6.7%, from ₹0.999 (~$0.0104)/kWh to ₹0.93 (~$0.0097)/kWh, while transmission charges increased by 15%, from ₹0.27 (~$0.0028)/kWh to ₹0.31 (~$0.0032)/kWh. Cross-subsidy surcharges declined by 2–3% for HV-1 commercial consumers and remained unchanged for HV-2 large and heavy power consumers.
The market is already seeing increased renewable energy adoption by C&amp;I businesses: Uttar Pradesh added 233.8 MW of solar open access capacity in Q2 2026. The revised Green Energy Open Access metering provisions have reduced compliance requirements, while ongoing transmission expansion is supporting connectivity and evacuation.
However, banking flexibility, connectivity costs, approvals, and grid charges remain important considerations. The state has been making efforts to ease such concerns with policy measures. For instance, the state offers 100% stamp duty exemption on land used for solar projects and parks, along with an interest subsidy of up to 5% per year for five years on loans for plant and machinery.
Shift Towards Energy Storage
As the C&amp;I sector explores opportunities in the state, their procurement strategies are shifting toward storage-backed renewable power, with multiple Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects receiving regulatory approval. Uttar Pradesh is gradually building a vertically integrated renewable ecosystem, with investments moving beyond solar deployment toward solar component manufacturing, BESS, and grid infrastructure. Its solar-plus-battery storage pipeline includes 860 MW under development projects.
For C&amp;I consumers, navigating these challenges requires handholding by experts on policy, technology, financing, project economics, and execution. Mercom India’s events in Lucknow are carefully curated to help renewable energy sellers and buyers make the right choices to lower electricity costs and make their operations more sustainable.

Uttar Pradesh’s Growing C&I Demand Opens New Renewable Energy Opportunities

Buyer Seller

Get the most relevant India solar and clean energy news.

RECENT POSTS