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UP leads India in rooftop solar growth; Lucknow tops all districts
Official data available with the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) show Uttar Pradesh added 64,742 rooftop solar installations in May, the highest among all states and over 20% of the national monthly addition of 3.16 lakh installations.
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Uttar Pradesh may still be trailing Gujarat and Maharashtra in cumulative rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, but it has emerged as the country’s fastest-growing solar market, leading the nation in fresh installations for several months, including May. At the centre of this surge is Lucknow, which has crossed the one-lakh mark to become the highest-performing district in the country.
Official data available with the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) show Uttar Pradesh added 64,742 rooftop solar installations in May, the highest among all states and over 20% of the national monthly addition of 3.16 lakh installations.
On May 31 alone, the state recorded 2,201 installations, accounting for nearly one-third of the national total of 6,662 and comfortably outpacing Maharashtra (1,342) and Rajasthan (988).
Despite this rapid growth, Uttar Pradesh remains third in cumulative installations at 5,64,857, behind Gujarat’s 6,81,420 and Maharashtra’s 6,05,864. The gap, however, is narrowing as UP continues to outpace both states in fresh additions.
“In total number of rooftop solar installations since the launch of the scheme in February 2024, UP ranks third but it has emerged as the national leader in monthly installations for the last several months,” UPNEDA project officer Ajay Kumar said.
The state’s growth story is being led overwhelmingly by Lucknow. The capital district has achieved 1,02,603 cumulative installations, becoming the first district in the country to cross the one-lakh milestone. It added 9,667 installations during May and another 333 on May 31, the highest among all districts in UP.
“In total installations as well as those in May, Lucknow is on the top in the country, with Surat being the second highest,” Kumar said.
The scale of Lucknow’s lead is evident from the fact that second-placed Varanasi within the state has 41,428 installations, less than half of the capital’s tally. Kanpur Nagar follows with 35,288 installations, while Bareilly (23,731), Agra (20,768) and Prayagraj (19,122) complete the top six districts.
“The figures indicate that rooftop solar adoption remains concentrated in a handful of urban and economically stronger districts. While the leading districts have built substantial installation bases, several districts continue to lag far behind,” another UPNEDA official said.
Shravasti has only 928 installations, while Kushinagar, Baghpat, Mahoba and Siddharth Nagar remain below the 2,000 mark. Lalitpur and Siddharth Nagar did not record a single installation on May 31.
Uttar Pradesh has, meanwhile, been selected for the ‘PM Surya Ghar Excellence Award’ in recognition of its outstanding performance in implementing the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
The award will be presented at the national programme, “Two Years of PM Surya Ghar: Scaling the Solar Home to 1 Crore Rooftops,” to be held in New Delhi on June 4.
According to officials, the state has received more than 9.91 lakh applications under the PM Surya Ghar scheme and installed over 5.57 lakh rooftop solar systems, benefiting more than 5.64 lakh families. “These installations have created 1,888 MW of rooftop solar capacity. Beneficiaries have received more than ₹3,602 crore in central subsidy and over ₹1,200 crore as additional state subsidy,” they said.
Around 2,000 rooftop solar systems are currently being installed daily, supported by over 6,000 registered vendors.
“The next challenge for the state will be to replicate the success of Lucknow and other leading districts in regions where adoption remains limited, ensuring that the benefits of rooftop solar reach all parts of the state,” Kumar said.
