Maharashtra becomes India’s second-largest state for rooftop solar installations

According to a recent report by Mercom India, Maharashtra has emerged as the second-largest state in India for cumulative rooftop solar installations, contributing 13.3% to the country’s total photovoltaic (PV) installations. The state has installed 1.5 GW of rooftop solar capacity, trailing only Gujarat, which leads with 3.2 GW. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) alone accounts for 8% of Maharashtra’s total installed rooftop capacity.

The report also highlights that Maharashtra added 95 MW of rooftop solar capacity in Q2 2024, marking a 77% increase from the 53.4 MW installed in Q1. A significant 74% of these installations were part of the Prime Minister’s Surya Ghar Program.

State energy officials attribute this growth to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) subsidy program, which offers a 20% to 40% subsidy for solar installations. This has encouraged many residents and housing societies to adopt solar energy, reducing electricity bills by 50% or more while benefiting from government subsidies.

MSEDCL Managing Director Lokesh Chandra noted that the utility has received over 0.13 million applications for rooftop solar installations across Maharashtra, with 26,000 installations completed and over 70,000 more approved. The utility is set to receive a Rs 1.5 billion subsidy from the central government under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, further encouraging residential consumers to switch to solar power.

The Mercom report also indicates that renewable energy makes up about 39% of Maharashtra’s energy mix, with solar energy accounting for around 15%. The state’s total solar installation capacity is approximately 7.5 GW, including 800 MW of large-scale solar projects installed in the first half of 2024. Maharashtra has about 17 GW of solar projects in the pipeline, primarily under the Mukhya Mantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana – 2.0.