Odisha rises to 7th nationally in rooftop solar adoption under PM Surya Ghar
By Payal Banerjee
Bhubaneswar, Aug 17: Odisha has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing rooftop solar markets, climbing from 13th to seventh position nationally under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, according to data available on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) portal.
The State has recorded around 1.74 lakh rooftop solar installations against 3,12,527 applications, crossing the 1.5 lakh installation milestone. Applications have risen from 1,95,513 to 3,12,527, while installations have increased from 72,538 to around 1.74 lakh. This represents nearly 60 per cent growth in applications and more than 130 per cent growth in installations. The application-to-installation conversion rate has also improved from 37.1 per cent to 53.4 per cent.
Odisha’s progress has been supported by additional State financial assistance over and above the Central subsidy under PM Surya Ghar. Eligible residential consumers can receive combined assistance of up to Rs 1.38 lakh for a 3 kWp rooftop solar system, subject to applicable guidelines. The State has set a target of three lakh rooftop solar installations by 2027.
The four distribution companies—TPCODL, TPWODL, TPNODL and TPSODL—have played a key role in implementation. TPCODL has facilitated 56,842 installations, followed by TPWODL with 48,905, TPNODL with 44,785 and TPSODL with 23,881.
The discoms have expanded their role beyond electricity distribution by facilitating net metering, inspections, commissioning, vendor coordination and consumer handholding. Their outreach includes the “Mo Chhata, Mo Sanchaya” campaign and Surya Ghar Gram Sabhas at the gram panchayat level.
TPCODL has also launched the mobile outreach initiative ‘Solar Rath’ under the Utility-Led Aggregation model. Meanwhile, the Tata Power Skill Development Institute’s Solar Didi initiative is training women in rooftop solar installation and maintenance to strengthen grassroots awareness and adoption.
The programme has also gained traction across districts. Baleshwar leads with 16,069 installations, followed by Ganjam (15,301), Khordha (14,236) and Cuttack (13,343). Together, the four districts account for around 143 MWp of rooftop solar capacity.
Gajanan Kale, Chief, Odisha Distribution Business, Tata Power, said Odisha’s rise to seventh position and achievement of more than 1.5 lakh installations reflected growing consumer confidence in clean energy. He attributed the progress to government subsidies, utility-led execution, net-metering support, vendor coordination and grassroots initiatives.
With 410 MWp of rooftop solar capacity, Odisha is positioning itself as a model for utility-led and community-based adoption of distributed renewable energy.
