Solar Energy in India

Sunlight to power

• Solar radiation is energy carried by sunlight. It reaches Earth as light and heat.
• In a photovoltaic (PV) cell, light releases electric charges in a semiconductor. Their movement creates direct-current (DC) electricity.
• Solar thermal equipment captures sunlight as heat. It can warm water or air.
• Concentrated solar power uses mirrors, heat, steam and a turbine. It can use stored heat to make electricity later.
• PV makes electricity directly. Solar thermal mainly makes heat.

Main parts of a PV system

• Modules, mounting, cables, safety devices and an inverter.
• The inverter changes DC into AC for common appliances.
• A grid-connected system works with the local network. It can draw grid power when panels produce too little. A battery is optional.
• An off-grid system works without a utility connection. Batteries store power for later. It needs careful sizing and battery replacement planning.

Capacity versus generation

• Capacity is the maximum rated power at a moment, in MW or GW.
• Generation is electricity produced over time, in kilowatt-hours.
• The 164.59 GW figure is capacity.

Kinds of solar

• Utility solar: large ground-mounted plants send power to the grid. Solar parks share roads, substations, water lines and clearances.
• Rooftop solar: homes, schools, shops and factories place panels on roofs. Net metering records power sent to and drawn from the grid. State rules set the bill treatment.
• Agricultural solar: PM-KUSUM supports solar pumps and small grid-connected plants. Pumps can reduce diesel use, but easy pumping can also raise groundwater pressure.
• Floating solar: panels on rafts over reservoirs. It limits land pressure. Anchoring, cables, water use and ecology still need review.

Where does solar work in India?

• Most Indian regions get strong sunshine.
• Rajasthan and Gujarat have large open sites.
• MNRE’s 2025 map shows potential in other states too, such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Cloud, dust, slope and grid access affect each site.
• Read more: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• (Source: MNRE 2025 resource map.)

Who runs it?

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) leads central solar programmes.
• The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) runs tenders.
• Regulators set rules. Distribution companies connect many projects.
• Read more: National Solar Mission.
• (Source: MNRE solar programmes.)

Household and farm policy

• PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana supports rooftop systems. Its target is one crore households by 2027.
• PM-KUSUM supports solar pumps and decentralised plants. MNRE lists a 34.8 GW target through March 2026.
• A target is not the same as completed capacity.
• Read more: PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

Making a panel

• The chain runs from quartz and polysilicon to ingots, wafers, cells, modules, glass, frames, inverters and installation.
• India has grown module assembly faster than some upstream stages.
• In August 2025, MNRE reported 100 GW of module capacity on the ALMM list. That is listed factory capacity, not yearly output.
• The PLI scheme supports high-efficiency modules. ALMM sets eligibility for many government-supported projects.
• Policies change, so check current orders.
• (Sources: MNRE PLI scheme; MNRE ALMM list.)

Benefits

• Solar needs no fuel while it operates.
• Rooftop systems can cut daytime grid purchases.
• Solar plants diversify India’s electricity supply.

Costs and limits

• Costs: land or roof space, panels, inverters, wiring, finance and maintenance. Batteries add cost.
• Auction tariffs are bids, not every consumer’s bill. A low price does not show the full system cost.
• Land and water: ground plants compete with other land uses. Poor siting can disturb habitats or livelihoods. Cleaning panels can use water in dusty places.
• Transmission: sunny areas can be far from demand. New lines and substations are needed. Congestion can delay connections.
• Intermittency: output changes with daylight, clouds, seasons and dust. It falls after sunset.
• Storage: batteries shift daytime power to later hours. Pumped storage moves water uphill when power is available, then releases it through turbines.
• Recycling: panels last decades, then become waste. India’s E-Waste Management Rules, 2022 include solar PV modules, panels and cells.
• Solar has no smoke at the panel, but mining, manufacturing, land use, transmission and disposal still have impacts.

Net metering

• A two-way meter records electricity imported from and exported to the grid.
• It does not mean the grid stores household electricity.
• Billing rules vary by state.

Example

• NTPC completed its 100 MW floating solar project at Ramagundam, Telangana, on 1 July 2022.
• The date matters because project rankings change.
• (Source: PIB, Ministry of Power.)
• Related transitions: Electric Vehicles in India and GOBARdhan.

What a record is

• A solar record is a dated claim tied to a defined measure, place and project stage.

Why only Kerala was correct in 2022

• Cochin International Airport announced full solar operation in 2015.
• It became the world’s first airport powered fully by solar energy.
• The airport is in Kerala. That made statement 2 correct in the UPSC question.
• “Fully solar powered” describes energy supply over time. It does not mean aircraft run on solar power.
• The project expanded after its first commissioning, so capacity figures need dates.

The park and floating-solar traps

• In 2022, Bhadla in Rajasthan held the widely cited largest-solar-park title. Gujarat was wrong in statement 1.
• Goa did not host India’s largest floating solar project. Statement 3 was wrong.
• Floating projects can be compared by installed, commissioned or announced capacity. These are not interchangeable.
• A hybrid park combining solar and wind should not automatically inherit a solar-only title.

How to verify a changing record

• Ask what is measured: land area, solar capacity, total renewable capacity or yearly generation.
• Check whether it is planned, under construction, commissioned or operating. Compare only like stages.
• Check the reference date. Rankings change as new phases connect.
• Use MNRE, project owners or official agencies. Headlines drop qualifications.

Past questions

• UPSC CSP 2022: statements on Gujarat, Kerala and Goa. Answer (b), 2 only. See the question.
• UPSC CSP 2016: “net metering” means promoting solar production and use by households and consumers directly, letting them sell surplus power to the grid. See the question.
• UPSC CSP 2018: India is not among the top makers of silicon wafers for PV units. Tariffs are set through competitive bidding, not fixed directly by SECI. See the question.
• UPSC CSP 2020: solar power can run submersible pumps, and piston pumps as well as centrifugal ones. Answer (d), neither 1 nor 2 (both limiting statements are false). See the question.
• UPSC CSP 2025: PM Surya Ghar: the one-crore-household target, MNRE’s training role and the 3-lakh-plus skilled-manpower goal. All three were genuine. Answer (d). See the question.
• CDS I 2020: the Gandhi Solar Park is on the roof of UN Headquarters in New York, a gift from India for Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. Thimphu is a tempting but wrong guess. Answer (a). See the question.

Dated figures

• 31 July 2026: India reported 164.59 GW of installed solar capacity. This is dated capacity, not yearly generation. (PIB)
• National target: 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030. It includes more than solar. (PIB, 9 Aug 2026)
• PM Surya Ghar: a 2024 rooftop scheme aiming at one crore households. A 12 August 2026 update reported 51.58 lakh households benefiting. (PIB factsheet)
• PM Surya Sarovar, 31 July 2026: the Cabinet approved ₹5,070 crore for 5,000 MW of floating solar paired with storage, through FY 2030-31. (PIB)
• Manufacturing, 13 August 2025: MNRE reported 100 GW of module capacity under ALMM. Listed capacity does not equal factory output. (PIB)

Timeline

• 2010: National Solar Mission launched.
• 2014: about 2.8 GW.
• 2015: India and France co-founded the International Solar Alliance at COP21.
• 2017: Solar Parks Scheme target raised from 20 GW to 40 GW.
• 2021: India and the UK launched the Green Grids Initiative at COP26.
• Read more: Global Energy Fora: IRENA, IPEEC and Others.