India’s Renewable Rooftop Solar Emerge Surge  

Why in News?

According to recent data, India's Rooftop Solar (RTS) capacity achieved a landmark milestone by reaching 20.8 GW in 2025.

• Growth Trajectory - The country added 7.1 GW of new installations in 2025 alone, demonstrating a massive 123% Year-on-Year (YoY) increase.
• Driver - The residential sector has become the primary growth engine, accounting for 76% of all annual Rooftop solar RTS installations.
• State-wise Leaders - 2025
  • Maharashtra- 16% of new deployments
  • Gujarat - 16% of new deployments
  • Uttar Pradesh - 15% of new deployments

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana

Approved by the Union Cabinet on February 2024. This is India's premier flagship central scheme designed to fast-track residential rooftop solar adoption.

• Nodal Agency- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• Financial outflow - ₹75,021 crore.
• Key Targets:
  • Installation of rooftop solar in 1 crore households by the financial year FY 2026-27.
  • Provision of up to 300 units of free electricity per month to participating households.
• Progress Metrics - As of early 2026, more than 31 lakh systems have been installed overall, with early phase rollouts heavily concentrated across states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Assam.

 Utility-Led Aggregation (ULA) Model

A key programmatic evolution under the PM Surya Ghar architecture, the ULA model was introduced to accelerate installations among lower-income residential blocks.

Core Architecture

Under the traditional model, individual households procure, finance, and manage solar vendors independently.

• Shift- The ULA model transitions the burden of project aggregation, upfront capital costs, and vendor execution from individual households to the State Power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) or state-designated entities.
• Target Segment - Explicitly focuses on low-income, vulnerable, and economically weaker households requiring smaller installations (typically below 1 kW), where upfront costs and fragmented demand act as entry barriers.
• Deployment Level - The government approved over 1.3 million (13 lakh) rooftop solar systems across 10 States/UTs under this model, targeting a macro-objective of covering 30 lakh households out of the scheme's overall 1 crore target.

For Reference: Bio Energy Times | IAS Parliament