Demand creation is becoming the defining challenge for India’s solar industry as domestic manufacturing capacity expands and export opportunities remain limited, industry leaders said at Mercom India’s Mercom India’s Renewable Energy Summit 2026. The session, titled “India’s Clean Energy Expansion: The Path Forward,” featured Khalid Nadeem, Chief Operating Officer of Solar IPP Business at SAEL, and Raj Prabhu, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder at Mercom Capital Group. Priya Sanjay, Managing Director at Mercom India, opened the session by highlighting India’s shift from coal-led to solar-led capacity additions. Coal dominated annual capacity additions between 2010 and 2016, while solar has led new additions since 2017.