India's solar power generation surged 81% to 9.4b units

4.2b units were added in the country's nine-month timeframe.

Solar in India accounted for ~9,378 million units of electricity produced in the country during the nine-month period from April to December, 2016, an 81 percent increase over the same period in 2015, according to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

Mercom Capital Group said that solar now accounts for one percent of the total power generated in the country. Solar’s share of the electricity generated by renewable energy sources has increased to 14.5 percent. 

In the nine-month period from April to December 2016, ~4,197 million more units of solar was generated compared to the same timeframe (April to December) in 2015. 

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, close to 4.1 GW of solar have been commissioned in 2016 compared to 2.3 GW in all of 2015. Government policies and subsidies are helping the sector grow. With solar installations forecast to reach more than 9 GW in calendar year 2017, the share of solar power generation is expected to continue to increase.