• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBrainstorm Tech

How SunEdison’s Bankruptcy is Hurting India’s Solar Market

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 27, 2016, 11:39 AM ET
SunEdison Installs Solar Panels On Kohl's Rooftops
Photograph by Robert Nickelsberg—Getty Images

SunEdison filed for bankruptcy just about a week ago, but the failure of one of the world’s largest clean energy companies is already having global repercussions.

One country that will be hit uniquely hard is India.

According to Bloomberg, SunEdison is looking for financial partners, or acquirers, for 2.4 gigawatts of its planned and operating clean energy projects in India. One gigawatt of power is about what one large coal, nuclear, or natural gas plant can generate.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

The Indian government has a goal to have 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2020. Currently, the country has just 6.7 gigawatts of solar and 26.7 gigawatts of wind, notes Bloomberg.

While SunEdison (SUNE) is only one company that has been operating in the Indian solar market, the dynamics of the country are particularly unique. The country’s regional governments sells solar and wind project deals through auctions to the lowest bidders, driving down prices of solar projects to unusually low rates.

For more on the economics of clean energy, watch:

Some of the rates are so low that companies either aren’t making money on the deals or are at risk of not being able to meet those low rates. In addition, companies like SunEdison can score enormous deals that could be harder to win in other regions. For example, SunEdison won 500 megawatts of capacity that was sold in an auction late last year in Andhra Pradesh.

Now that SunEdison is struggling, many of its planned projects are up for sale. But so are many of the other solar and wind projects in India. Bloomberg estimates that 10% of the country’s existing solar and wind projects are now up for sale.

For global power companies bullish on clean energy that could be a huge opportunity. But for a country that is struggling to meet its aggressive clean energy goals, that could mean a lot of volatility.

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
America's $38 trillion national debt 'exacerbates generational imbalances' with Gen Z and millennials paying the price, warns think tank
By Eleanor PringleDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, McDonald's CEO dishes out some tough love career advice for navigating the market: ‘You've got to make things happen for yourself’
By Preston ForeDecember 16, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt Roomba maker iRobot says Elon Musk's vision of humanoid robot assistants is 'pure fantasy thinking'
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
IBM, AWS veteran says 90% of your employees are stuck in first gear with AI, just asking it to ‘write their mean email in a slightly more polite way’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Banking
Trump turns on CBS, Kushner pulls out and Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros. shows signs of collapse
By Eva RoytburgDecember 16, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Exclusive: After citations against Elon Musk’s Boring Company were suddenly withdrawn, federal regulators are now investigating Nevada OSHA
By Jessica MathewsDecember 16, 2025
23 hours ago

Latest in Tech

DOJ
Bankingfraud
$1 billion fraud revealed with guilty pleas from subprime auto lender Tricolor
By Larry Neumeister and The Associated PressDecember 17, 2025
29 minutes ago
A statue of the Oscars statuette
Arts & EntertainmentYouTube
YouTube is giving the Oscars the lifeline it desperately needs
By Dave SmithDecember 17, 2025
2 hours ago
Ray Dalio attends the Fortune Global Forum Riyadh 2025 on October 27, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (
Personal FinanceRay Dalio
Ray Dalio donates $75 million to ‘Trump Accounts’ as Scott Bessent leads ‘50 State Challenge’ to invest in America’s kids
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressDecember 17, 2025
2 hours ago
AIAmazon
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announces departure of AI exec Rohit Prasad in leadership shake-up
By Sharon GoldmanDecember 17, 2025
3 hours ago
Jeff Bezos attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
AIAmazon
Experts say Amazon is playing the long game with its potential $10 billion OpenAI deal: ‘ChatGPT is still seen as the Kleenex of AI’
By Eva RoytburgDecember 17, 2025
4 hours ago
Trump points his finger into the crowd from behind the presidential podium
Big TechSilicon Valley
The Trump administration says it could go after Spotify if Europe doesn’t back off American tech companies
By Dave SmithDecember 17, 2025
7 hours ago