Finshots Daily Is India’s rooftop solar push going into the sunset?
Jul 4, 2025
The podcast dives into the challenges stalling India's ambitious rooftop solar program, scrutinizing the gap between its 40-gigawatt goal and the actual progress. It discusses the complexities of subsidy distribution and the benefits of local solar power generation. Additionally, the conversation shifts to revitalizing efforts with a government startup challenge aimed at improving installation and maintenance. The potential for easing pressure on the national grid and strategies for boosting adoption, like enhancing financial access and developing skilled labor, are also explored.
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Rooftop Solar Eases Power Grid
- Rooftop solar can reduce stress on India's aging power grid and cut transmission losses significantly.
- Excess power generated mid-day can feed local grids and reduce reliance on distant coal plants during peak hours.
Challenges Choking Rooftop Solar
- Rooftop solar growth is limited by patchy subsidies, discom worries over net metering, and high upfront costs.
- Skilled labor shortages outside metros also delay installations and undermine after-sales confidence.
Boost Rooftop Solar Adoption
- To revive rooftop solar, normalize net metering by utilities and promote formal credit marketing for affordable financing.
- Scale up skilled labor by upskilling workers like plumbers into solar installers to support widespread adoption.