Jaipur | Rajasthan has emerged as the third-largest state in the country in rooftop solar installations, witnessing a rapid adoption with nearly 700 new consumers switching to renewable energy consumption on a daily basis.
According to the state energy department, Rajasthan has so far installed 2,45,317 rooftop solar units across domestic, non-domestic and industrial categories, taking the total capacity to about 2,090 MW.
The growing shift to solar energy has resulted in 1,43,965 consumers bringing their electricity bills down to zero, an official said, adding that Gujarat leads the country in rooftop solar capacity with 6,882 MW, followed by Maharashtra at 5,442 MW, while Rajasthan ranks third.
Under the PM Surya Ghar scheme launched in 2024, 1,77,468 rooftop solar plants with a combined capacity of 686 MW have been installed in the state in the past two years.
"The response has been encouraging. Around 675 to 700 consumers are adopting solar energy daily," the official said.
In March alone, 20,343 rooftop solar units were installed, making it the second-highest monthly figure recorded in the state.
With 910 units, March 23 recorded the maximum number of installations in a single day.
"The pace of installations has been rising steadily, and the number of consumers opting for rooftop solar has been increasing two to two-and-a-half times every six months since the launch of the scheme in February 2024," he said.
While only 7,694 consumers installed rooftop solar systems in the first six months, the numbers rose sharply in subsequent phases, with 58,153 installations recorded in the first three months of this year alone.
The state government expects the number of installations to cross one lakh in the first half of the current year.
Financial incentives have also played a key role. Subsidy amounts of up to Rs 78,000 are being transferred to beneficiaries within one to one-and-a-half months of installation under the central scheme.
So far, Rs 1,185 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of 1,52,350 consumers, covering about 85 per cent of beneficiaries under the scheme.
In addition, over 13,000 consumers have received an extra subsidy of Rs 17,000 under the state's 150-unit free electricity scheme.
