Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP lead rooftop solar figures

NEW DELHI: Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as frontrunners in rooftop solar installations, even as over 23 lakh rooftop solar systems (RTS) were installed across the country in the last two years under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.Launched on Feb 13, 2024, with a financial outlay of ₹75,021 crore, the scheme aims to install RTS in one crore households by March 2027. The Centre provides a one-time financial assistance of up to ₹78,000 per household, while several states offer additional subsidies.According to the national portal, 23,68,383 systems with an aggregate capacity of about 8,691 MW have been installed till Feb 13 this year. The govt has released ₹16,932.4 crore in subsidies.Under the scheme, a 3-kW solar plant can generate about 300 units of electricity per month — enough to reduce the bill to zero if consumption stays within that limit. More than 12.5 lakh consumers have received zero electricity bills in at least one month since the launch.The number of installations is estimated to be close to three million when state-level subsidy programmes are included.Gujarat leads with nearly 5.6 lakh installations, followed by Maharashtra (4.5 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (3.7 lakh) and Kerala (1.9 lakh). Adoption remains low in the Northeast: Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura together account for only 4,174 installations. Delhi, Goa, West Bengal and Chandigarh also have recorded modest numbers, with 6,209, 1,721, 1,265 and 1,050 installations, respectively.The govt acknowledged that nearly three-fourths of installations are concentrated in 10-11 states. Many states are yet to notify virtual net-metering guidelines, which allow consumers to feed surplus power into the grid and receive payment.“This is a model with a customer-first approach and has become immensely popular. People see rooftop solar at their neighbours’ homes and get inspired. We want adoption across all states and are holding regular meetings with state govts,” said JVN Subramanyam, joint secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.He added the scheme has seen rapid growth: monthly installations have risen from about 15,000 at launch to over two lakh and continue to grow.Industry players, however, flagged financing challenges. Installing a rooftop solar system requires an upfront investment of ₹2–2.5 lakh, leading many consumers to seek loans. “Financing is currently the weakest part of the ecosystem. The process is slow, requires branch visits and approvals can take two to five weeks,” said Shreya Mishra, co-founder & CEO, SolarSquare.She added that generation can vary by 20–30% annually depending on installation quality and maintenance.Subramanyam said the govt is working with banks to simplify financing. “For maintenance, vendors provide a five-year warranty. We are also working with manufacturers to make systems more reliable and consumer-friendly. More than 1.25 lakh people have been trained in solar technologies, and we expect a maintenance ecosystem to develop soon,” he said.Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, CEO of National Solar Energy Federation of India, said awareness remains a key challenge. “While there is broad awareness about the scheme, understanding of the application process, system details and technical aspects is still limited,” he said.“Many organisations and civil society groups are working on the ground to spread awareness. We are at an inflection point where solar is close to becoming a commodity. Once that happens, the PM Surya Ghar target for 2027 could be exceeded,” Pulipaka added.