Energetica India Magazine March - April 2026

T he Indian Commercial and Industri- al (C&I) sector is not only crucial to the nation’s economic growth but also to its overall energy transition. As per India Energy Statistics 2025, the C&I sector ac- counts for about 50 percent of India’s total energy consumption. The sector’s energy demand is growing at a CAGR of about 10 percent. energetica INDIA- Mar-Apr_2026 37 The cumulative installed solar open access capacity in the C&I sector crossed 30 GW in December 2025, with demand particularly strong from energy-in- tensive sectors such as manufacturing, data centres, and IT services, which require scalable and reliable renewable procurement solutions. As per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) data, in FY26, a total of approximately 15 GW of solar capacity, which is about 34 percent of overall capacity addition, has been added in the C&I sector. This includes 2 GW in rooftop solar. This is 150 percent YoY growth as the sector added 10 GW in FY25. The C&I sector, including captive, contributed to about 4.5 GW (about 75 percent) of the total wind capacity addition in FY26. In the next five years, the share of renewables in C&I consumption is going to rise significantly. As per a projection by MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi, the renewable energy demand from the C&I segment is likely to ramp up in a range between 60-80 GW by 2030, driven by accelerating demand for renewable energy from the proliferation of data centres and expanding man- ufacturing operations. Open Access Models Gaining Prominence C&I consumers, large institutions, and residential complexes are increasingly adopting renewable energy, which offers greater cost efficiency as compared to grid tariffs. In recent times, solar open access is emerging as a scalable alterna- tive to rooftop solar, especially for large consumers. FEATURE STORY Affan Patel, Whole Time Director, KP Group, re- marks, “C&I consumers are increasingly shifting from rooftop solar to open access renewable energy due to scalability, lower tariffs, and flexibility. Open access allows large energy buyers to source power from utility-scale solar or wind projects without be - ing constrained by rooftop space, while also benefit - ing from long-term cost predictability. Regulatory support and improved transmission frameworks have further accelerated this shift.” According to Akshay Hiranandani, CEO, Serentica Renewables, the shift from rooftop solar (RTS) to open access renewable energy among C&I consumers is not incidental; it reflects a deeper structural shift in how industries approach energy. “While rooftop solar served as an important starting point, its lim- itations in scale and consistency have become evi- dent as industrial energy demand continues to grow. Factories do not operate on constrained capacity; they require reliable, large- scale power that rooftop installations alone cannot provide,” he says.