# How Factories in India Can Buy Renewable Power Through Open Access

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/green-energy-open-access-india

Published 2026-10-13.

For years, buying wind or solar power directly from a generator was something only large plants could do in India. The rule was simple: you needed at least 1 MW of connected load. A mid-sized factory could put panels on its own roof, but it could not buy green power from a solar park in the next district.

That changed in 2022. This article explains what the Green Energy Open Access Rules allow, how they differ from rooftop solar, and how to judge whether open access makes sense for your plant.

## What the rules changed

The Ministry of Power's **Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022**, notified in June 2022, cut the minimum load for green energy open access from 1 MW to **100 kW**. A 2023 amendment allowed that 100 kW to be met through several connections that together reach 100 kW in the same electricity division of a distribution company. Captive consumers, who own at least part of the generating plant, have no limit on how much they can procure.

The rules set the national framework, but each state's regulator writes the regulations that make it work, and the Ministry asked states in February 2024 to align their regulations. Progress varies. In 2026, for example, Delhi's regulator proposed dropping an 11 kV connection requirement in favour of the 100 kW threshold. Commentators have also pointed out that many 100 kW consumers are on low-tension lines, where open access frameworks are less developed.

## Open access or rooftop?

|  | Rooftop solar | Green energy open access |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where the power is made | Your roof or premises | A wind or solar plant elsewhere, delivered over the grid |
| Size limit | Your roof area and state net-metering limits | From 100 kW of load, under state rules |
| Charges | Mostly the capital cost or a solar lease | Transmission and wheeling charges, surcharges and banking terms set by the state |
| Approvals | Utility connection approval | Open access approval from the state nodal agency |
| Best for | Daytime load, limited roof space needs | Plants with steady load and little roof |

Many plants do both: rooftop for daytime load, open access for the rest.

## Is it worth it?

The answer depends on three numbers in your state: your current industrial tariff, the landed cost of open access power after charges, and how much of the generated power you can actually use or bank. A Tamil Nadu study of the textile sector estimated that shifting fully to renewable power through green tariffs and open access could cut electricity spending by up to 41.5 percent, which shows the scale possible where the rules are favourable. The same arithmetic can come out flat in a state with high charges.

## What it does for your carbon numbers

Under the GHG Protocol, renewable power bought through open access lowers your **market-based** Scope 2 emissions when it comes with the right contractual instruments. Your **location-based** figure still uses the grid factor. Report both, and keep the open access invoices and certificates with the numbers. For the difference, see [market-based versus location-based Scope 2](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/scope-2-market-based-vs-location-based-msme-guide).

## How to start

1. Pull twelve months of bills: units, maximum demand, time-of-day split.
2. Check your state's green energy open access regulations and current charges.
3. Get landed-cost offers from two or three developers, including banking terms.
4. Model the saving against your actual load profile, not an annual average. The [energy transition savings calculator](https://senseible.earth/calculators/energy-transition-savings) is a starting point.

Senseible reads your electricity bills for units and billing periods and keeps the renewable share and the grid share separate, so both Scope 2 figures stay traceable.

Check your state regulator's current open access rules and charges before signing a contract.

## Related guides

- [calculating a carbon footprint from electricity bills](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/how-to-calculate-carbon-footprint-electricity-bills)
- [Scope 2 emissions for manufacturers in India](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/manufacturing-scope-2-emissions-india)
- [green finance for textile exporters, step by step](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/green-finance-textile-exporters-step-by-step)
- [energy audit for an MSME in India](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/energy-audit-for-msme-india)