India's Rooftop Solar Picks Pace, Capacity Touches 17 GW

The latest data released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) claimed that India’s rooftop solar capacity is now touched 17 GW, hinting at an expeditation in the sector. This comes almost one year after the launch of the PM Surya Ghar scheme.

While India’s cumulative rooftop solar capacity stood at around 11 GW during the launch of the scheme, it has grown at a faster pace since the launch of the scheme. This scheme, through a slew of measures ranging from higher subsidy to process simplification process seemed to have worked well for the sector, which was lagging behind pace for the last few years.

Top Performers of Rooftop Solar 

Leaders in rooftop solar adoption. Source: MNRE

As per the latest data shared by the MNRE, some of the Indian states seem to outperform others with higher levels of installations. Gujarat seems to be the leader in the market. The data revealed that Gujarat till now has a total of 5.1 GW of rooftop solar capacity, making it the leader in the space.

It is followed by states like Maharashtra, which reported a total of 3.2 GW of rooftop solar capacity. It is followed by the renewable energy-rich state of Rajasthan, which reported a total of 1.5 GW of capacity. Kerala now also hosts a total of 1.1 GW of rooftop solar capacity. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, now has a total of 0.93 GW.

Laggards in rooftop solar 

States/UTs with lowest rooftop solar adoption. Source: MNRE

Several Indian states and Union Territories, however, have seen minimal expansion of rooftop solar under the PM Surya Ghar scheme. Data from the MNRE said that Lakshadweep reported zero rooftop solar installations under the scheme.

The data also hinted that several northern eastern states also reported very slow adoption of the scheme. The MNRE data revealed that after Lakshadweep, some of the other lagging states and UTs included Meghalaya (0.21 MW), Nagaland (1 MW), Ladakh (1.8 MW) and Nagaland (2 MW).

What Changed After PM Surya Ghar 

With the revival of the residential rooftop solar market through PM Surya Ghar, several things changed for the sector. First, the scheme boosted the central government subsidies for solar consumers upto Rs 78,000 (for a 3kw system). Through several notifications, it also simplified the process of application and reduced the timelines for such installations.

For example, MNRE asked states to make the Technical Feasibility Reports (TFRs) of rooftop solar projects automatic for capacities upto 10 kW. Several states later also worked to make the process of enhancement of electricity meter capacity online upto 10 kw to make the process easier for several solar consumers. Several state governments also supported the scheme with state subsidies to boost the interest of solar consumers to go solar.

With several of these interventions and rising awareness, the scheme finally seems to have gathered pace. The government expects to add around 30 GW of rooftop solar capacity with this scheme as it has planned to solarise 1 crore households under the scheme.