Bengaluru Urban ranks second in rooftop solar uptake, but Karnataka trails far behind Centre’s target

MNRE data shows Bengaluru Urban among India’s top performers in solar rooftop adoption, yet Karnataka remains well short of its mandated installation target under the national scheme.

Bengaluru Urban has emerged as one of India’s leading metropolitan regions in the adoption of rooftop solar panels, according to fresh data released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The report places Bengaluru Urban second in the country in both installations and the number of households benefiting from the Pradhan Mantri-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.

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The ministry provided the figures in response to a question raised in the Lok Sabha by Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya. As per the data, Bengaluru Urban has recorded 4,984 rooftop solar installations, while Bengaluru Rural has added 386, taking the total to 5,370 installations within BESCOM limits. These installations have enabled 11,854 households in Bengaluru Urban and 386 households in Bengaluru Rural to benefit from the scheme.

Despite this strong showing in comparison with other major metros, Karnataka’s overall performance remains below expectations. Officials from the state government have confirmed that the state is lagging behind the target assigned by the Centre. Under the national scheme, Karnataka must reach 1.02 lakh rooftop solar consumers by March 2027. However, the state has so far completed only about 13,000 installations across all districts.

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Nationally, the ministry reported 18,99,494 rooftop solar installations benefiting 23,79,580 households as of November 30, 2025. Among major metros, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, there are 13,176 installations supporting 41,955 households. Mumbai leads the metro rankings, with 18,223 households covered under the scheme from just 428 installations in Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban.