Solar rooftop: Taking stock of a government scheme a year down the line

Many wrinkles in the processes pertaining to submission of the application process and getting the reimbursement for PM Surya Ghar subsidy scheme have been ironed out in the last one year but more ground needs to be covered in solar rooftop in Tamil Nadu: TANGEDCO

Until February 2025, a total of 26,755 domestic consumers in Tamil Nadu had installed solar rooftops availing the Prime Minister Surya Ghar subsidy scheme, launched during the same time last year.

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) officials say more ground needs to be covered.

Prabhakaran Veeraarasu, environmental engineer and member Poovulagin Nanbargal, says solar rooftop is critical for energy transition and the state government should consider incentivising consumers and also encourage more R&D in battery storage. “While there is some awareness on solar rooftop, there are hurdles that prevent people from switching to solar energy,” says Prabhakaran. Currently, the Government is working on a tool that will simplify the process of installing a solar plant.

He says Tamil Nadu government plans to ensure 20,000 MW of solar power capacity and 10,000 MW of battery storage by 2030.

Many consumers and vendors The Hindu Downtown spoke to say wrinkles in the processes pertaining to submission of the application process and getting the reimbursement have been ironed out in the last one year.

Tangedco’s five zones have been initiating various activities to create awareness among people about solar energy.

In March 2025, the Chennai North Circle under Tangedco started a grievance meeting exclusively to address concerns of consumers and vendors regarding solar rooftop.