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By: Bharat Dubey, Shiv Shankar Mishra, Mayank Singh, Pragya Guru, and Rohit Sharma.
1 Senior Manager, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd, Delhi, India
2 Vice President, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd, Delhi, India
3 Deputy Manager, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd, Delhi, India
4 Engineer, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd, Delhi, India
5 Senior Engineer, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd, Delhi, India
India’s rooftop solar (RTS) sector has experienced significant growth, aligning with the nation’s commitment to sustainable energy. This paper explores the growth trajectory of the rooftop solar sector, particularly focusing on the domestic category in Indian states, where government initiatives and financial support from both the Central Government (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, MNRE) and state governments have played crucial role in promoting adoption. Over the years, improvements to the RTS installation numbers have been driven by favourable initiatives (e.g. the Sustainable Partnership for RTS Acceleration in Bharat, SUPRABHA, and the Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India, SRISTI, schemes) followed by recently launched PM Surya Ghar scheme with financial incentives, technological advances, awareness campaigns, and training programs. Gujarat leads
with over 29% of cumulative installations, followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Conversely, states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and many others exhibit slower uptake due to factors such as regulatory hurdles, inadequate financial assistance, limited consumer awareness and infrastructural challenges. To address these disparities, this paper proposes a tailored framework for Indian solar policy and financial assistance, considering variables like solar irradiance, payback period, energy consumption patterns, population density, per capita income and DISCOM engagement. By implementing state-specific strategies, the aim is to foster equitable growth in the rooftop solar sector especially in domestic segment, contributing to India’s broader renewable energy objectives and contribute towards meeting its 2030 climate commitments under the Paris agreement.
Citation:
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