Bharat Dubey, Shiv Shankar Mishra, Mayank Singh, Pragya Guru, Rohit Sharma | International Journal of Renewable Energy and its Commercialization | Vol 11, Issue 02 | pp. 65-81 | ISSN: 2582-4120
Abstract
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.
🔒 This is a subscription article
Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.
SubscribePurchase this articleInstitutional / Login accessReferences
- Goel, Malti. "Solar rooftop in India: Policies, challenges and outlook." Green Energy & Environment 1, no. 2 (2016): 129-137.
- Gulia, Jyoti, A. Thayillam, P. Sharma, and V. Garg. "Indian residential rooftops: A vast trove of solar energy potential." Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Ohio (2022).
- Odeh S, Nguyen TH. Assessment method to identify the potential of rooftop PV systems in the residential districts. Energies 2021;14:4240.
- Klima K, Apt J. Geographic smoothing of solar PV: results from Gujarat. Environ Res Lett 2015;10:104001.
- Davidson C, Drury E, Lopez A et al. Modeling photovoltaic diffusion: an analysis of geospatial datasets. Environ Res Lett 2014; 9:074009.
- Kaur T. Solar PV integration in smart grid—issues and challenges. Int J Adv Res Electr Electron Instrum Eng 2015; 04:5861– 5.
- Tarigan E. Techno-economic analysis of residential grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems in Indonesia under MEMR 26/2021 regulation. Int J Energy Econ Policy 2024;14:412–7.
- Srivastava R, Amir M, Ahmad F et al. Performance evaluation of grid connected solar powered microgrid: a case study. Front Energy Res 2022;10:1044651.
- Jewell J, McCollum D, Emmerling J et al. Limited emission reductions from fuel subsidy removal except in energy-exporting regions. Nature 2018;554:229–33.
- Sakti AD, Ihsan KTN, Anggraini TS et al. Multi-criteria assessment for city-wide rooftop solar PV deployment: a case study of Bandung, Indonesia. Remote Sens 2022;14:2796.
- https://www.ceew.in/sites/default/files/residential-rooftop-solar-market-potential-in-indian-households_0.pdf
- TERI 2025|https://www.teriin.org/sites/default/files/files/India_role_in_global_energy_GovernanceFram_work.pdf
- MERCOMINDIA|https://www.mercomindia.com/product/q3-2023-india-solar-market-update
- Satapathy, Amitabh. "BOCR/ANP Framework to evaluate Policies for adoption of Rooftop solar PV." Advances in Consumer Research 2, no. 1 (2025).
- Mukherjee, Mohua. India's ongoing rooftop solar journey 2017-2022. No. 18 [20]. OIES Paper: ET, 2022.
- Mathew, Tony C., and Sridevi Nagaraja Pandian. "Unveiling the shadows: a qualitative exploration of barriers to rooftop solar photovoltaic adoption in residential sectors." Clean Energy 8, no. 5 (2024): 218-228.
- IEA Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (Phase I, II and III). Available online: https://www.iea.org/policies/4916-jawaharlal-nehru-national-solar-mission-phase-i-ii-and-iii?technology=DistributedPV
- Schetinger, Annelys Machado, and André Frossard Pereira de Lucena. "Evaluating Policy Frameworks and Their Role in the Sustainable Growth of Distributed Photovoltaic Generation." Resources 14, no. 2 (2025): 28.
- Shidore, Sarang, and Joshua W. Busby. "What explains India's embrace of solar? State-led energy transition in a developmental polity." Energy Policy 129 (2019): 1179-1189.
- Srivastava, S. Policy Framework for Developing and Promoting Decentralised Renewable Energy Livelihood Applications, 1st ed.; F. No.32/18/2020-SPV Division Government of India Ministry of New Renewable Energy: New Delhi, India, 2021; pp. 1–19.
- MNRE Physical Achievements | MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY | India
- MNRE| https://mnre.gov.in/en/physical-progress/
- IEA (2024), Past and future energy investment in India in the Announced Pledges Scenario and the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, 2016-2030, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/past-and-future-energy-investment-in-india-in-the-announced-pledges-scenario-and-the-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-scenario-2016-2030 .
- Pareek, Arti, Humaid Mohammed Niyaz, Manish Kumar, and Rajesh Gupta. "Categorizing Indian states based on operating condition of photovoltaic system." Solar Energy Advances 4 (2024): 100052.
- Niti Ayog| https://iced.niti.gov.in/energy/fuel-sources/solar/potential .
- CEA| https://cea.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/fs___a/2024/07/Book_2023.pdf.
- MNRE| https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2111106 .
- PIB2025| https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2111106 .
- API| https://api.solarrooftop.gov.in/VendorList/statewiseVendor
- MNRE|https://mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Energy_Statistics_2025/Energy%20Statistics%20India%202025_27032025.pdf .
How to cite this article
@article{DubeyB2026,
author = {Bharat Dubey and Shiv Shankar Mishra and Mayank Singh and Pragya Guru and Rohit Sharma},
title = {State-wise Assessment of Rooftop Solar Progress: Role of Financial Assistance and Policy Frameworks in Driving Market Growth in India},
journal = {International Journal of Renewable Energy and its Commercialization},
year = {2026},
volume = {11},
number = {02},
pages = {65--81},
issn = {2582-4120},
url = {https://journalspub.com/publication/ijrec/article=22975}
}