Delhi witnesses surge in solar rooftop installations led by residential consumers

The number of rooftop solar installations is surging in the national capital, with the power discoms energising over 23,000 connections in residential, commercial, industrial and other categories. BSES discoms - BRPL and BYPL- have together energised more than 13,600 rooftop connections with a total load of around 260 MWp (megawatt peak load). In 2025-26 alone, more than 4,600 rooftop connections, including over 2,600 under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, were energised by the discom, said a BSES spokesperson. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), which covers around 28 per cent of the total distribution area in the city, has so far registered over 18,000 households under its flagship project 'Suryansh' and energised a record 4,011 connections in the previous year, which is the highest annual addition so far, said a company statement. Discom officials said transformative government schemes and growing interest are leading to the surge in rooftop solar adoption in Delhi. The consumers can avail a total subsidy of up to Rs 1.08 lakh, including Rs 78,000 from the Centre and Rs 30,000 from the Delhi government, and also earn generation-based incentives under the existing policies. The BSES spokesperson said that for a typical household, a 5 KW rooftop system can potentially deliver savings of Rs 3,500 or more per month, depending on consumption levels and tariff slab. The surplus solar power is sold to the discoms at Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) determined rates. ''A major catalyst behind the sharp rise in solar rooftops has been the central government's PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which, along with Delhi Solar Policy, has significantly improved affordability for residential consumers,'' he said. Discom data showed that the residential category leads in the number of rooftop solar connections. The BSES discoms have a total of 9,888 residential installations, followed by commercial establishments (2,184), educational institutions (1,009), others (342) and industrial consumers (207). The Commercial category takes the lead in terms of solar load with 90.2 MWp, followed by residential consumers (83.8 MWp), educational institutions (50.3 MWp), others (20.5 MWp) and industrial units (13.6 MWp). BSES spokesperson said rooftop solar is highly economical and yields total annual savings of up to Rs 200 crore to the consumers. Commercial consumers are estimated to save around Rs 84 crore annually, followed by residential consumers Rs 55 crore, educational institutions Rs 33 crore, others Rs 13 crore, and industrial consumers Rs 11 crore. The green transition is not only slashing utility bills but has also turned North and Northwest Delhi rooftops into revenue streams, generating Rs 8 crore in additional income for residents through Generation-Based Incentives (GBI) and the sale of surplus power back to the grid, said a TPDDL statement. The discom has so far integrated 10,310 rooftop solar units, creating a formidable distributed energy network with a cumulative capacity of 156.78 MWp, it added. The movement has reached a critical mass across segments with residential connections numbering 7,965. Over 50 Cooperative Group Housing Societies (CGHS have solarised their skylines, enjoying the benefits of free energy, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)