Rooftop solar capacity nears 20 GW in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat

According to a BusinessLine report, the residential rooftop solar power capacity in the country under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) crossed 19 gigawatts (GW) in October 2026, with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat adding the highest capacity.

Under this scheme, the total rooftop capacity installed across India last month was 19,189 megawatts (MW), covering 65,26,461 households. According to JMK Research and Analytics, residential rooftop solar installations in India increased by approximately 18.4 percent from 1,375 MW in September 2026 to 1,628 MW in October 2026.

It further added that in October 2026, Uttar Pradesh led in residential rooftop solar installations with 259.41 MW capacity, followed by Maharashtra (236.66 MW) and Gujarat (215.59 MW). According to data from the PMSG: MBY portal, 14,578 applications were received for installing residential rooftop solar units in Uttar Pradesh during October, against which 13,290 installations were completed. In Maharashtra, the number of installations was 20,540 against 17,439 applications. In Gujarat, 23,990 applications were received against 12,354 installations.

A total of 1,20,034 applications were received and 84,140 installations were completed in India during October 2026. On a cumulative basis to date, 89.43 lakh applications have been received across the country, resulting in approximately 56.18 lakh installations and covering 66.33 lakh households, bringing the capacity to 19,508 MW. So far, a total subsidy of ₹36,957 crore has been distributed.

A recent report by the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) highlights the "affordability effect," showing that the adoption of rooftop solar is expanding beyond states where the economy is naturally strongest. ISMA evaluated state-level payback periods without subsidies, which showed where the residential rooftop solar market is commercially viable on its own and where it still requires policy support.

It noted that money is returned faster in high-tariff states like Maharashtra and Kerala, while large residential markets like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu have lower tariffs and longer payback periods. The report emphasized that installations are growing rapidly in such low-payback states under PMSG: MBY because the scheme is bridging the payback gap. It is bringing India's largest and lowest-priced electricity markets within reach.

The publication shows in its data that approximately 60 percent of the capacity installed under PMSG: MBY is in states where rooftop solar would not have proven profitable on its own.

According to Wikipedia background, solar energy is radiant energy obtained from sunlight and heat, which can be harnessed through technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy, and solar architecture. It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technology is broadly classified as passive solar or active solar based on how it captures and distributes solar energy or converts it into solar power.