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Aerem Advocates Innovative Financing to Close MSME Solar Credit Gap
Apr 17, 2026
The company highlights a 90% funding shortfall and promotes flexible lending models to boost solar adoption among small businesses.
Aerem Solutions has outlined a forward-looking strategy to improve access to solar financing for MSMEs during Green Finance Week India 2026, drawing attention to structural challenges that continue to limit participation in India’s clean energy transition.
Representing its NBFC arm NetZero Finance, Chief Operating Officer Anupam Agrawal noted that despite strong growth in the renewable sector, nearly 90% of MSMEs still struggle to secure financing for solar projects. He pointed to a persistent trust gap and traditional lending frameworks that depend heavily on collateral, making credit access difficult for smaller enterprises.
According to Aerem, the issue is less about the availability of capital and more about how it is deployed. The company is advocating for lifecycle-based financing approaches that integrate technical risk mitigation—from pre-installation assessments like shading analysis to ongoing performance tracking. It is also promoting generation-linked repayment models and blended finance structures to improve project viability, especially in rural and underserved markets.
The company further highlighted that green financing remains concentrated in a handful of states, leaving many regions with limited access to funding. It called for greater involvement from specialised financial institutions to address these imbalances and accelerate decentralized solar deployment across the country.
The event brought together key stakeholders including National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Asian Development Bank, and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, along with major financial institutions such as State Bank of India and HDFC Bank. Industry participants also included Tata Power and India Energy Storage Alliance, among others.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Aerem operates an integrated platform combining digital tools, solar-focused lending, and a B2B equipment marketplace. The company has built a network of over 5,000 EPC partners across 150+ cities, supported more than 1.5 GW of solar installations, and financed over 2,000 projects—collectively contributing to significant clean energy generation and emissions reduction.