When Ramesh Singh of Janipur, a village in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, put in a three-kilowatt (kW) photo voltaic rooftop plant on the terrace of his two-storey home final 12 months, he anticipated his electrical energy payments to lower and his energy technology to fulfill his home wants. Initially, he acquired a minimal electrical energy invoice, however in July he was shocked to get a invoice of ₹12,269 for 3 months, a lot increased than what he had anticipated. “Earlier, I used to get a invoice of about ₹700-800 per 30 days. Now, regardless of the identical load, I don’t perceive how my invoice has elevated,” he stated.

He isn’t alone. Within the Khajani city of Gorakhpur district, Brijesh Modanwal put in a five-kW photo voltaic plant in April 2025, hoping for minimal payments. By July 7, he was shocked to obtain a invoice of ₹22,295 for 3 months. Related complaints of inflated payments are rising from throughout the state.

These shopper experiences spotlight the hole between expectations and actuality below the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY), launched in February 2024 with the purpose of selling rooftop photo voltaic within the nation. Whereas Uttar Pradesh has set formidable targets and ranks one amongst the highest three nationally within the undertaking’s rollout, many districts are struggling to fulfill their objectives, whilst customers grapple with inflated payments and different challenges.

Huge push, uneven outcomes

Based on information from the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Power Improvement Company (UPNEDA), the state has set a goal to set up 2,65,211 residential rooftop photo voltaic crops by March 2026. Every of the 75 districts has its personal goal primarily based on infrastructure and capability.

As of July 15, nevertheless, solely few districts are on monitor whereas most others are trailing. The highest 15 districts embody 10 municipal firms that the state goals to develop as ‘photo voltaic cities.’ The state has drafted a coverage to develop all 17 municipal firms of Uttar Pradesh as ‘Photo voltaic Cities’. Nonetheless, solely 10 of these 17 municipal firms rank among the many 15 top-performing districts in implementing the PMSG: MBY.

Lucknow leads with 37,383 installations, nearly double its goal of 18,962 for this 12 months. Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, additionally surpassed its annual goal, with 15,548 installations towards a goal of 14,657. Kanpur Nagar has additionally carried out strongly, putting in 10,368 crops towards a goal of 4,000.

However in distinction, a number of key districts, together with Agra, Bareilly, Prayagraj, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, and Unnao, are falling brief, and a few could miss their total targets by 2026. That is the standing of the highest 15 districts when it comes to PMSG: MBY.

Regardless of this uneven progress, UPNEDA Director Inderjit Singh stays assured. “Now we have time until March 31, 2026, and all districts will obtain their targets by then,” he stated.

Customers’ concern

Customers like Ramesh Singh and Brijesh Modanwal blame inflated payments, however officers supply totally different explanations. A consultant of a non-public electrical energy metering firm, which handles billing in Gorakhpur’s Kaudiram, stated that Singh’s web meter had not but been configured. “His is an current web meter. It has but to be configured to generate appropriate payments. Furthermore, the good meter works on a community foundation. If there isn’t any community, the meter will solely present fastened costs, and the invoice will replicate the identical, which is why initially, some prospects get very small payments,” stated the consultant who sits in Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Restricted (PVVNL)’s workplace. The consultant requested anonymity as they aren’t authorised to talk to the media.

For Modanwal, the sub-divisional officer at PVVNL, Bholanath stated that the good thing about surplus electrical energy generated by his rooftop system can be adjusted solely on the finish of the monetary 12 months. He added that Modanwal’s photo voltaic rooftop plant additionally “seems to be of poor high quality.”

Throughout districts, inflated or incorrect payments are among the many most typical complaints. Customers are additionally pissed off by the poor high quality of their crops’ output.

In Khajani, pharmacy proprietor Rajkumar Kasaudhan stated his two-kW system produces barely 5 to 6 models a day towards the 13 promised by his vendor. “If electrical energy is absent for seven to eight hours a day, the plant can not ship as anticipated,” he defined.

Officers acknowledge the issue however cite each defective tools and native climate as the explanations for low electrical energy manufacturing. Ashutosh Srivastava, Chief Engineer at PVVNL, additionally famous that some distributors are promoting substandard solar energy programs.

“Photo voltaic crops are performing very effectively within the Bundelkhand area, the place the climate is extraordinarily scorching throughout the summer season. The efficiency right here (Gorakhpur) isn’t optimum,” added Bholanath.

Different challenges transcend billing and technology. Distributors and customers level to delays in state subsidies. A resident of Anandnagar, a city within the district of Maharajganj, vendor Virendra Jaiswal famous that his prospects had acquired the central subsidy however had been nonetheless ready for the state’s contribution. One in every of them, Vidya Maurya, confirmed, “My three-kW plant was put in in February and I acquired ₹78,000 from the centre in three months, however I haven’t acquired ₹30,000 from the state.”

Chetan Singh Solanki, professor on the Division of Power Science and Engineering, IIT Bombay, states that the first problem in implementing the PMSG: MBY is the power illiteracy amongst numerous stakeholders, together with authorities our bodies, departments, officers, distributors, and customers. “The best way the scheme is being applied is itself problematic. Most individuals have a tendency to put in solar energy crops primarily to obtain authorities subsidies and cut back their energy payments, however as soon as the plant is put in, they usually enhance their consumption. Fairly than decreasing their energy consumption, most beneficiaries have a tendency to put in extra home equipment, similar to air conditioners, after putting in a solar energy plant. The design of the PMSGY isn’t good as a result of it’s primarily based on the previous mannequin of simply giving subsidies.”

He identified that distributors are sometimes merely eager about making a revenue, they usually usually set up low cost tools, particularly in rural areas. They don’t test whether or not there may be ample daylight accessible on the rooftop the place they’re putting in a solar energy plant.

Commenting on the underperformance of photo voltaic rooftop crops in districts like Gorakhpur, Solanki stated that distributors usually present customers in rural areas with low cost and untested tools merely to promote their merchandise and make a revenue.

Jaideep Saraswat, Affiliate Director of Clear Energy, Electrical Mobility, and Rising Applied sciences at Vasudha Basis, which collaborates with the Uttar Pradesh authorities to advertise clear power purposes and gives coaching to photo voltaic plant distributors within the state, additionally famous that individuals are not conscious of learn how to utilise solar energy crops. “Customers are usually unaware of learn how to function a solar energy plant. They don’t clear the panel for days. A panel must be often cleaned with a fibre fabric. Additional, the concept that a panel can be clear after a rain bathe isn’t utterly true. At instances, we see extra soiling and therefore, require rapid cleansing intervention,” he stated.

Resistance from rural customers

Distributors say adoption is very gradual in rural areas, the place convincing folks to put in rooftop programs is troublesome. Ajit Mishra, a Varanasi-based vendor of solar energy crops defined that since these crops generate energy solely when electrical energy is current and several other rural areas nonetheless lack a steady electrical energy provide, convincing rural prospects to put in them is a significant drawback.

Financing is one other main hurdle. Mishra stated that many mortgage purposes get caught due to mismatches between the names within the electrical energy division data and the Aadhaar playing cards. “There are umpteen instances the place names of customers accessible with the electrical energy division are totally different from their precise names. Banks course of mortgage purposes provided that the customers’ names correspond to particulars of their Aadhaar playing cards, and the electrical energy division takes a very long time to course of identify corrections. In lots of instances, customers’ particulars haven’t been up to date within the electrical energy division’s database after a buyer’s demise. These corrections too take time,” Mishra stated stated. Consequently, a number of purposes are pending. For example, 192 mortgage purposes given to banks by our firm are pending in Varanasi — 70 in Bhadohi, 23 in Mirzapur, and 92 in Jaunpur.

Distributors additionally face resistance from customers who concern increased payments. “In rural areas, many purchasers will not be even accustomed to paying payments often. Additionally, the place there isn’t any want for an air conditioner (AC), customers don’t really feel the necessity to set up a photo voltaic plant. In truth, putting in photo voltaic rooftops could lead to increased electrical energy payments if the good meters will not be configured to calculate the ability models generated and consumed,” Mishra stated.

Nonetheless, Saraswat stays hopeful. “Any scheme of this stature will take time for implementation. There are key points that should be ironed out. All these points have been communicated to the stakeholders, and district-level committees are in place to deal with them. As soon as we attain equilibrium, these can be ironed out, however we have to create consciousness amongst customers,” he stated.

---

Learn extra: Rooftop photo voltaic extends deadline for goal which isn’t a promising signal say specialists

---

 

Banner picture: Staff place a panel on the rooftop of a residence in Gurugram. (AP Photograph/Manish Swarup)