Solar power charging taking baby steps in A.P. despite better conditions

With abundant sunshine, a booming renewable energy ecosystem, and rising interest in electric mobility, Andhra Pradesh is primed to turn solar-powered EV charging into a commercially viable business. While the transition is still in its nascent stages, the potential is vast.

Instead of relying entirely on the conventional grid, these modern stations generate power from rooftop or ground-mounted solar panels. By using Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to manage fluctuations, they can seamlessly draw electricity from the grid only when necessary.

Sector pioneers

With reduced electricity costs at these facilities, charging point operators (CPOs) can pass the savings directly on to EV users. Convergence Energy Services Ltd. (CESL)—a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL) under the Union Ministry of Power—is the first to deploy an integrated solar-powered charging station in India.

Currently, CESL operates solar-powered charging stations only in Leh (Ladakh) and Kevadia (Gujarat). While it manages over 1,000 public EV chargers nationwide, it has yet to install a public charger in Andhra Pradesh. However, CESL CEO Akhilesh Kumar Dixit noted that active conversations are underway with various State agencies to establish new EV chargers.

Meanwhile, Tata Power and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. have recently expanded their fast-charging footprint in the State. With a recent addition on the Bengaluru-Tirupati Highway, the partnership now operates 166 fast chargers in Andhra Pradesh. Yet, despite operating several solar carports in other States, Tata Power does not run a single solar-powered unit here.

Speaking to The Hindu, Tata Power EV Charging Business Head Virendra Goyal said, “We do not have adequate space to initiate solar-powered charging stations in A.P.. In some States, our fast chargers obtain solar power from the grid. As the cost component is high, we are still working on those aspects in this State.”

Solar panels alone are not enough. A grid-connected solar-powered station offering high-power fast charging requires a robust grid connection, substantial electrical equipment, and potentially a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Consequently, charging point operators (CPOs) often struggle with the steep costs of land, maintenance, software, grid connectivity, and financing.

The most formidable challenge remains the high upfront investment coupled with uncertain returns. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) estimated that public charging infrastructure investment between 2020 and 2025 represented a mere 9.6% of the ₹20,600-crore total required by 2030.

The biggest challenge is the high upfront investment and uncertain returns. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has estimated that the investment in public charging infrastructure during 2020–25 represented only about 9.6% of ₹20,600-crore investment that would be required by 2030.

Land component

Some industry experts say that the solar-powered charging stations are not feasible in agriculture rich regions where the land costs are high. “A solar-powered fast-charging hub needs 2-3 acres of land,” Amara Raja Power Systems Ltd. (ARPSL) Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)  Pacha Lakshmi Narayana told The Hindu.

The company, a part of Amara Raja Group, is an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) of both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) fast chargers. It has installed 20 chargers for several CPOs over last one year, and it is going to add 10 more by the end of March 2027.

Electric mobility in urban areas gets momentum in Andhra Pradesh

Mr. Narayana said, “ARPSL has a wide product range of DC fast chargers to cater the solar-powered charging stations, but no CPO has approached us for them. Few CPOs enter a tripartite agreement with the solar energy producer and the DISCOM (local power distribution company). Again, the transmission cost is high in this case.”

Wait and watch

The State government is still evaluating the solutions to these problems. When asked about the same, A.P. Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said, “We are aggressively developing the EV charging stations, but not the solar-powered ones. We are in the process of understanding the challenges in this segment, and we will go ahead keeping in view the interests of the farmers.”

(N.S. Chowdary attended Renewable Energy Workshop in Visakhapatnam hosted by Earth Journalism Network)