Open access lets a business buy electricity from a generator other than its DISCOM, usually a solar or wind plant somewhere else in the state, and have it delivered over the public grid. It is how a factory with little roof space can still run mostly on solar.
Who can use it
Under the Green Energy Open Access rules, renewable open access is open to consumers with 100 kW or more of contracted load. State regulations and court rulings affect how this works in practice, so the rules in Karnataka are not the same as in Maharashtra.
How it works, step by step
- A developer builds a solar plant, often in a solar park.
- You sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) for its output, either as a buyer or as a part-owner.
- The plant feeds power into the grid, and the grid delivers the same amount to your meter.
- Your bill credits the solar units and charges the grid fees for carrying them.
Example
A textile unit in Karnataka uses 2 lakh units a month and pays ₹8.50 a unit. It signs up for solar from a park 200 km away at ₹3.75 a unit. After wheeling and, if it doesn’t co-own the plant, the surcharges, its landed cost is roughly ₹4 to ₹5 a unit. That is a saving of well over ₹80 lakh a year.
Why it is growing
India added 7.8 GW of open access solar in 2025, a record, taking the total past 30 GW. Large industrial users and data centres drive most of it because it fixes their power price for 15 to 25 years.
Related: landed cost, group captive, banking.
Sources
Figures last checked on 26 September 2026.