Aggregating Demand for Corporate Rooftop Solar Installations: Lessons from the Collaborative Solar PV Procurement Project

The CollabSolar project in Bengaluru attempted to reduce transaction costs and attract developers by aggregating the rooftop solar demand of six corporate entities. Key findings indicate that aggregation is most effective within small geographic areas and requires a collective minimum demand of 8-10 million kWh/year to mitigate the risk of individual buyer withdrawal. The project highlighted critical barriers, including corporate charter restrictions for MNCs wishing to invest capital, the need for tripartite agreements with landlords for leased spaces, and the absence of net-metering schemes in Bengaluru at the time, which forced systems to be sized to minimum weekend loads.

• The aggregated procurement model is most effective when companies are located within a small geographic area, such as a business or industrial park. To prevent project failure if a single buyer withdraws, the group should have a collective minimum renewable energy demand of 8-10 million kWh/year, which equates to a project size of approximately 5-6 MW.
• Buyer creditworthiness reduces financial risks for developers and financing costs; typically, large companies consuming at least 1 million kWh per annum serve as effective anchor buyers.
• Procurement models must align with buyer preferences: commercial buyers often prefer Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to reduce high grid tariffs, while industrial buyers may prefer direct investment to utilize capital tax benefits.
• Technical and legal barriers hinder deployment, including buyer reluctance to share rooftop data due to security concerns, the requirement for tripartite agreements between buyers, vendors, and landlords for leased properties, and the need for Multi-National Companies (MNCs) to alter corporate charters to permit power generation if they choose a captive purchase model over a PPA.
• The absence of net-metering schemes in Bengaluru during the pilot meant there was no compensation for power sold to the grid, forcing systems to be sized to the minimum load (based on typical weekend demand), which reduced the overall transaction size.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Aggregating Demand for Corporate Rooftop Solar Installations: Lessons from the Collaborative Solar PV Procurement Project. https://www.wri.org/research/aggregating-demand-corporate-rooftop-solar-installations-lessons-collaborative-solar-pv

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Aggregating Demand for Corporate Rooftop Solar Installations: Lessons from the Collaborative Solar PV Procurement Project. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/aggregating-demand-corporate-rooftop-solar-installations-lessons-collaborative-solar-pv.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Aggregating Demand for Corporate Rooftop Solar Installations: Lessons from the Collaborative Solar PV Procurement Project |url=https://www.wri.org/research/aggregating-demand-corporate-rooftop-solar-installations-lessons-collaborative-solar-pv |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendaggregating, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Aggregating Demand for Corporate Rooftop Solar Installations: Lessons from the Collaborative Solar PV Procurement Project}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/aggregating-demand-corporate-rooftop-solar-installations-lessons-collaborative-solar-pv}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }