According to data sourced from the CEA, India produced 11.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar power in the January-March 2019 period
New Delhi: For the first time in India’s history, the total solar power generation has crossed 10 terawatt hours in the fourth quarter of financial year 2018-19. According to data sourced from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India produced 11.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar power in the January-March 2019 period. The figure marks a 16.5 percent increase over the previous quarter and a 57 percent jump over the corresponding period in the last fiscal year.
The first quarter of every financial year usually sees a jump in power generation because of clear skies during the winter season.
Solar power share rises to 3.4 percent
Consequently, the share of solar power in the overall power generation has gone up to its highest-ever level, 3.4 percent. The increase in power generation also gave a boost to the share of renewable energy in the overall power mix, pushing it up to 8.7 percent from 7.3 percent in Q4 2018 and 7.5 percent in Q1 2018.
March alone recorded power generation at 4.3 TWh
March 2019 saw a steep rise in power generation at 38 percent to the quarter’s overall power generation. The total power produced in the month stood at 4.3 TWh. In March, the southern region of India, which boasts of an overwhelming capacity for solar power generation, contributed 58 percent of the country’s total solar energy.
Karnataka recorded a 52 percent jump in power generation in Q4 2019 as opposed to the same period a year ago. The states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh also recorded significant jumps in monthly power generation in March. Andhra registered a 40 percent rise in generation in March over February 2019.
Total solar energy generation in FY19 stood at 38.9 TWh
For the entire financial year, India’s total solar energy generation stood at 38.9 TWh, a 51 percent increase over the previous financial year. The total share of solar power in the overall energy mix went up from 2 percent in 2017-18 to 2.8 percent in 2018-19.
Source: psuwatch
