Skip to main content

Solar energy funding dips 9% in 2023; 2024 'kicks off' with US$1 billion investment

By Lakshmitha Raj* 

Solar energy tech companies have already secured slightly over US$1 billion in funding in 2024 (till Feb 7, 2024) after total funding into Solar Energy companies in India fell 9% to US$1.55B in 2023 from US$1.7B in 2022. A total of 39 $100M+ rounds have been closed till date, with Delhi leading the city-wise funding, followed by Gurugram and Mumbai.
Tracxn, a leading market intelligence platform has released its Geo Solar Energy Report. The report, based on their extensive database, provides a round-up of funding and other major developments in India’s solar energy space in 2023.
This sector secured funding worth US$1.55 billion in 2023, 9% lower than the US$1.7 billion raised in 2022. However, within the first month of 2024, this space has witnessed US$1 billion in funding, with Sukhbir Agro Energy raising US$1 billion in its private equity round in January 2024.
The majority of the funding in this space comes from late-stage rounds. However, a decline in late-stage investments led to a subsequent drop in overall funding in 2023. Companies in this space attracted late-stage funding worth US$1.3 billion in 2023, a 23% decrease from the US$1.7 billion raised in 2022.
A sharp surge was observed in early-stage funding, which rose six-fold to US$252 million in 2023 from US$39 million in 2022. Seed-stage funding in this space has raised a total of US$11.5 million in 2023, a growth of 58% compared to the US$7.26 million raised in 2022.
The solar energy sector in India has witnessed a total of 39 US$100 million+ rounds to date, out of which 12 have taken place in the last two years. No unicorns have emerged from this sector so far.
Among the cities, Delhi takes the lead in terms of total funding to date, followed by Gurgaon and Mumbai. Solar energy companies based in Delhi have raised US$3.1 billion to date, followed by those based in Gurugram (US$2.7 billion) and Mumbai (US$2.3 billion).
There has been notable activity in terms of exits within this sector. The Indian solar energy sector has seen 43 acquisitions to date, of which 16 acquisitions were witnessed in the last few years, and 2024 has seen only one acquisition so far. Further, 49 companies have gone public to date, out of which three IPOs took place in 2023 and two in 2022.
Among the cities, Delhi takes the lead in terms of total funding, followed by Gurgaon and Mumbai
IFC, Villgro, and DFC are the most active investors in the Indian Solar Energy space to date. CIIE, Social Alpha, and Villgro are the top seed-stage investors in this space, while Acumen, CIIE, and FMO are the top early-stage investors. Axis Bank, British International, and KKR are the top late-stage investors in this space.
Meanwhile, the government of India has started to focus on locally developing solar products by providing incentives worth more than US$3 billion in the last three years. States such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are already generating more than 9 MW of solar energy.
The Indian government has set a target of net zero emissions by 2070. It also plans to diversify 50% of its electricity requirement to renewable energy by 2030. The government is giving a push to the deployment of renewable sources of energy, especially solar, through policies and incentives.
The government also encourages 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through the automatic route to promote solar energy within the country. These initiatives are expected to bolster solar energy companies and accelerate sectoral growth.
---
*Manager PR and Corporate Communications, Tracxn Technologies Ltd., Bangalore

Comments

TRENDING

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Anti-poor stand': Even British wouldn't reduce Railways' sleeper and general coaches

By Anandi Pandey, Sandeep Pandey*  Probably even the British, who introduced railways in India, would not have done what the Bhartiya Janata Party government is doing. The number of Sleeper and General class coaches in various trains are surreptitiously and ominously disappearing accompanied by a simultaneous increase in Air Conditioned coaches. In the characteristic style of BJP government there was no discussion or debate on this move by the Indian Railways either in the Parliament or outside of it. 

Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das  Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer.  Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton.  The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments.  One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.  

Faith leaders agree: All religious places should display ‘anti-child marriage’ messages

By Jitendra Parmar*  As many as 17 faith leaders, together for an interfaith dialogue on child marriage in New Delhi, unanimously have agreed that no faith allows or endorses child marriage. The faith leaders advocated that all religious places should display information on child marriage.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Ayurveda, Sidda, and knowledge: Three-day workshop begins in Pala town

By Rosamma Thomas*  Pala town in Kottayam district of Kerala is about 25 km from the district headquarters. St Thomas College in Pala is currently hosting a three-day workshop on knowledge systems, and gathered together are philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners in homeopathy and Ayurveda, one of them from Nepal, and a few guests from Europe. The discussions on the first day focused on knowledge systems, power structures, and epistemic diversity. French researcher Jacquiline Descarpentries, who represents a unique cooperative of researchers, some of whom have no formal institutional affiliation, laid the ground, addressing the audience over the Internet.

Article 21 'overturned' by new criminal laws: Lawyers, activists remember Stan Swamy

By Gova Rathod*  The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, organised an event in Ahmedabad entitled “Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy in Today’s Challenging Reality” in the memory of Fr. Stan Swamy on his third death anniversary.  The event included a discussion of the new criminal laws enforced since July 1, 2024.

Hindutva economics? 12% decline in manufacturing enterprises, 22.5% fall in employment

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The messiah of Hindutva politics, Narendra Modi, assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. He pledged to transform the Indian economy and deliver a developed nation with prosperous citizens. However, despite Modi's continued tenure as the Prime Minister, his ambitious electoral promises seem increasingly elusive. 

Union budget 'outrageously scraps' scheme meant for rehabilitating manual scavengers

By Bezwada Wilson*  The Union Budget for the year 2024-2025, placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament has completely deceived the Safai Karmachari community. There is no mention of persons engaged in manual scavenging in the entire Budget. Even the scheme meant for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been outrageously scrapped.