Rooftop solar tops 30 lakh homes; MNRE calls for stronger data digitisation

India's rooftop solar installations have crossed 30 lakh households, with MNRE officials stressing the need for digitised DRE data, real-time monitoring

Rooftop solar power installations in India have crossed a record mark of 30 lakh households, leading to relief for consumers in electricity bills and strengthening energy security for the nation, the minister of new and renewable energy announced today.

 

“From reducing electricity bills to strengthening energy security, this achievement reflects the scale and speed of India’s green transformation,” Joshi said in a post on social media platform X. The scheme targets 30 Gigawatt of rooftop solar capacity through 1 crore installations.

 

Speaking at an industry event today, MNRE’s senior director J K Jethani said the growth in rooftop solar installations makes digitisation of data from Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) sources essential. “The country has installed 30 lakh rooftop solar panels under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, generating 9-10 Gigawatt of power,” he said.

 

More than 10,000 rooftop solar installations are being carried out across the country currently, Jethani said at the launch of the Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) 2026 report, prepared by energy think tanks Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and Ember.

 

Emphasising the need for access to real-time generation data for discoms to manage grid stability, Jethani said, “Under PM Surya Ghar, remote monitoring systems have been included and inverters must have SIM-based machine-to-machine communication, and data must be stored on cloud servers located in India.”

 

He also said that a draft regulation has been prepared to mandate data sharing with distribution companies and allow cost recovery through Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR). He also suggested revision of policies such as the ISTS waiver and must-run status for renewables.

 

“Renewable energy tariffs have declined to a level where we need to rethink all our policies,” he said, while also acknowledging the role of these policies in strengthening the renewable energy sector. India has reached 520 GW of installed power generation capacity, of which 263 GW is from renewable energy sources.

 

According to the report, several states including Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have made progress in decarbonising their electricity systems with a higher share of renewable energy in their procurement mix and lower power sector emissions intensity. Delhi and Haryana remain ahead in terms of DRE adoption, reliable power supply and relatively sound discom performance.

 

On Bihar, the report said, “Bihar’s policy proactiveness, such as offering a green tariff, solar-hour-aligned time-of-day (ToD) tariffs, rising electric vehicle adoption and various auctions to incorporate energy storage in its portfolio, has made it well prepared to accelerate its transition.”

 

Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are progressing on green hydrogen and have seen good EV adoption, the report mentioned. It assessed 21 states, representing 95 per cent of India’s power demand, across three dimensions and 18 parameters.