Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh Lead in Rooftop Solar Installations under PM Surya Ghar Scheme.

Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as the top three states with the highest number of rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, a government initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15, 2024. The scheme, aiming to provide rooftop solar power to one crore households by March 2027, has seen strong progress in its early stages.

The programme, hailed as the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar project, targets a rapid scale-up in installations. As per the government's plan, rooftop solar installations are expected to surpass 10 lakh by March 2025, reach 20 lakh by October 2025, and grow to 40 lakh by March 2026.

As of December 9, 2024, over 6.79 lakh households have already received rooftop solar systems, including more than 5.38 lakh individual residential units and approximately 1.41 lakh households through residential welfare associations. These numbers reflect the ongoing success of the scheme, according to Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Shripad Yesso Naik, in a recent Rajya Sabha reply.

Six states have accounted for around 88% of the total installations, with Gujarat leading the way with more than 3.02 lakh installations. Maharashtra follows with over 1.39 lakh, and Uttar Pradesh has completed more than 56,000 installations. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan also feature prominently with more than 55,000, 21,000, and 20,000 installations, respectively.

The PM Surya Ghar scheme offers substantial support to households, providing subsidies of up to 40% to make renewable energy more affordable. Additionally, beneficiaries can access collateral-free, low-interest loans at around 7% interest for the installation of rooftop solar systems up to 3 kW in capacity.

The overarching goal of the scheme is to add 30 GW of solar capacity through residential rooftop systems, making a crucial contribution to India's renewable energy targets. By serving one crore households, the initiative is expected to save the government ₹75,000 crore annually in electricity costs.

Over the 25-year lifespan of the rooftop solar systems, the scheme is projected to generate 1,000 billion units of electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by 720 million tonnes and delivering a significant environmental impact.

HBL