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India installs 100,000 rooftop solar systems weekly under PM Surya Ghar scheme
🇮🇳 India /Energy & Infrastructure

India installs 100,000 rooftop solar systems weekly under PM Surya Ghar scheme

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • India is installing rooftop solar systems on approximately 100,000 households weekly under the PM Surya Ghar scheme.
  • The program aims to cover 10 million homes by March 2027, with 4.65 million already benefiting as of July 13.
  • Increased momentum is attributed to aggressive state pushes, word-of-mouth, and awareness campaigns, contributing to India's renewable energy goals.

India is rapidly expanding rooftop solar installations, with around 100,000 households adopting the technology weekly under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. Union renewable energy secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi expressed confidence that the ambitious target of covering 10 million homes by March 2027 is well within reach.

We are covering around one lakh (100,000) households every seven days now and we expect to cross 50 lakh (5 million) households next month. The target of covering one crore (10 million) households by March 2027 is very much on track.

— Santosh Kumar SarangiUnion renewable energy secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi stated the scheme's progress and reaffirmed its target.

As of July 13, the scheme has already benefited 4.65 million households nationwide. Gujarat leads with 1.06 million installations, followed closely by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The initiative, launched in February 2024, aims to reduce reliance on traditional power sources by providing subsidies for rooftop solar systems.

Sarangi noted that the recent surge in installations is partly due to focused efforts in states that initially lagged, such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Sustained awareness campaigns across various media platforms have also played a crucial role. This progress supports India's broader goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030, with 288 GW already installed.

The data speaks for itself. We are seeing consistent growth now and states where there is both central and state subsidy are doing well.

— Binit DasBinit Das, programme manager for the renewable energy team at the Centre for Science and Environment, commented on the scheme's growth.

Experts acknowledge the encouraging numbers but point to ongoing challenges. Binit Das, program manager at the Centre for Science and Environment, highlighted the need for smoother subsidy processes and consistent financing. While space constraints in urban areas persist, the Utility-Led Aggregation model is proving effective in states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh, driving faster adoption.

The Utility-Led Aggregation (ULA) model, which shifts rooftop solar from an individual and vendor-led transaction to a utility-aggregated one by the discom, is one of the key growth drivers of faster progress in states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Financing also remains inconsistent at the ground level. While collateral-free loans are available nationally under the scheme, awareness of the product v

— Binit DasBinit Das discussed key growth drivers and remaining challenges for the scheme.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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