Rooftop solar scheme crosses 50-lakh household mark

Govt’s rooftop solar initiative has crossed the 50-lakh household milestone within 29 months

NEW DELHI: Govt’s rooftop solar initiative, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, has crossed the 50-lakh household milestone within 29 months of its launch in Feb 2024, achieving half of its target of one crore households by March 2027.According to new and renewable energy ministry, more than five lakh households installed rooftop solar plants in July, the highest monthly addition since the scheme began. Officials said nearly one lakh new households are being added under the scheme every six days, making it one of the fastest-growing clean energy programmes in the world.“The pace of installation has increased 3.2 times over the last nine months, rising from 5,038 installations a day in Oct 2025 to nearly 16,328 a day in July 2026,” the ministry said in a statement.When the scheme was launched in 2024, the country had fewer than eight lakh rooftop solar installations.Of the scheme’s Rs 75,021-crore outlay, govt has already disbursed Rs 28,024 crore directly to beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer. So far, nearly 19 lakh households have recorded zero electricity bills in at least one billing cycle, significantly reducing their power expenses.The ministry said more than 12 lakh households earned a combined Rs 421 crore by selling surplus electricity to the grid in FY 2024-25, translating into an additional income of around Rs 3,500 a year per household. Cumulatively, 14.8 GW of rooftop solar capacity has been commissioned under the scheme so far.The ministry said 1.6 lakh installations have been completed for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana beneficiaries, Below Poverty Line families, and SC/ST households across four states under the utility-led aggregation model. The model enables low-income households to install rooftop solar systems while helping states reduce their power subsidy burden.

Govt has also solarised 25,255 govt buildings with a combined rooftop solar capacity of 872 MW, against 41,542 buildings where installations totalling 1,418 MW are considered feasible. Overall, states have identified around 3.2 lakh govt buildings with an estimated rooftop solar potential of 4,400 MW. Of these, 81,329 buildings with a combined capacity of 1,450 MW have already been solarised, the ministry said.