Distributed outlook

India’s installed solar capacity has grown from less than 5 GW in 2016 to more than 165 GW today. While ground-mounted mega projects have led with a contribution of over 120 GW, rooftop solar is rapidly catching up, contributing more than 30 GW as of August 2026. Instead of adding capacity, the next decade will focus on where this capacity is located, how it interacts with the grid, and the flexibility it can provide. Shantanu Roy of CSTEP, a research-based think tank in India, expects this to open more doors for distributed solar.