Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), Asar Social Impact Advisors (Asar) and Poovulagin Nanbargal, organised a workshop on June 21, 2025 at Hotel Hablis, Chennai, for representatives of financial institutions, solar energy developers and consumers. The workshop was conducted as part of the project on Tamil Nadu Leadership in Energy Transition, with CAG, Asar and Poovulagin Nanbargal working collaboratively. The objective of the workshop was to create a platform for consumers to connect directly with solar installers and financial institutions, enhancing consumers’ understanding of rooftop solar PV systems. The workshop with a total of around 90 participants also had representatives from Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) and Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Company Limited (TNPDCL).
Mr. Hari Subbish Kumar, Programme Lead, Asar, extended a warm welcome to the participants. He highlighted the paradox that Tamil Nadu leads in solar energy adoption, but lags in rooftop solar adoption. He noted that this workshop is a part of understanding and addressing this specific challenge.
Mr. Vishnu Mohan Rao, Programme Lead, CAG, outlined the objectives and context of the workshop to frame the upcoming discussions. He gave a detailed presentation about CAG. He also presented an overview of the project itself, mentioning the over 18 workshops held across Chennai, reaching approximately 600 participants from diverse backgrounds, including retired government employees, entrepreneurs, IT professionals, and working women. Through these workshops, it was understood that a lack of awareness hindered rooftop solar adoption in Tamilnadu. A media workshop had also been held to assist journalists, content creators, and social media influencers in understanding the different aspects of rooftop solar energy. The goal was to enable them to raise awareness about renewable energy, and thus encourage more people to consider rooftop solar energy solutions. Mr.Vishnu added that this workshop is a continuation of these efforts, aiming to build synergy between financing institutions and service providers to facilitate a more robust support system for consumers interested in installing rooftop solar.
Dr. R Sethumadhavan, Professor & Director (Retd.), Institute for Energy Studies, Anna University, led a session on the current scenario of rooftop solar PV installations in India under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme. The session focused on a comparative analysis of rooftop solar PV trends in India and Tamil Nadu, providing insights into the National and State - level landscape. He pointed out that as of May 2025 Tamil Nadu had only received 0.36 lakh applications under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme. In contrast, Kerala was leading in this regard. He also noted that, though TN had fewer applications, there were more conversions into installations in the state.
Next, he provided a financial overview of the PM Surya Ghar Scheme highlighting key aspects of the scheme specific to Tamil Nadu. It was noted that out of the 35,000 rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme, only 11% (4037) households availed loans. Notably, 90% of these loans were disbursed by public sector banks. The State Bank of India leads in loan disbursal under the scheme, disbursing 34.67 crores to 1862 households accounting for 51.9% of the total loans. This was followed by Canara Bank disbursing 11.3 crores to 1003 households, accounting for 16.9% of the total disbursals. The Indian Overseas Bank ranks third with 6.67 crores disbursed to 353 households accounting for 10% of the total loans disbursed. The professor also deliberated on what could be the possible reasons behind the relatively low loan disbursal percentages from the other banks.
Mr. Mangalnathan, Chief Engineer, NCES, TNGECL shared the following insights regarding the promotion of rooftop solar in Tamil Nadu: TNGECL has been actively involved in various initiatives to promote rooftop solar adoption. He mentioned that feasibility inspections done by TNPDCL are no longer required for rooftop solar systems up to 10 kW, simplifying the process. The application process has been fully digitised, making the procedure faster and more efficient. Organisations such as Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and Asar have taken key initiatives to support and scale rooftop solar implementation. He further stated that by 2030, Tamil Nadu aims to generate 43.3% of its electricity from renewable energy sources, with 4.5% of that expected to come from rooftop solar. He added that TNGECL is fully committed to achieving this target and will extend its complete cooperation to individuals and organisations working in this space.
Mr. Somesh Sharavana, Lead District Manager, State Level Banking Committee, shared that the Tamil Nadu government has been welcoming towards schemes like the PM Surya Ghar. He also highlighted that Tamil Nadu’s performance in the PM Surya Ghar Scheme has been discussed in the recent district consultative committee workshop consisting of all the major bank officials. The scheme is constantly monitored by district officials such as the District Collector and other important stakeholders. He also emphasized that the main challenge faced by bankers is that since there are a lot of schemes, there is a knowledge gap at the bank branch levels. He emphasised that networking workshops like this should be conducted regularly so that tracking progress is made possible.
Panel Discussion 1 - Vendor Perspective: Challenges and Insights
The workshop then proceeded to the first panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Hari. The panel discussion centred around the challenges faced by vendors in promoting rooftop solar.
Mr. L Venkatesh, Secretary, TN Solar Energy Developers Association (TNSEDA), highlighted the challenges faced by developers in the uptake of rooftop solar. He shared that prior to 2015, Off-grid solar systems were popular but the economics were not attractive for consumers.
Subsequently, On-grid systems were introduced first with net metering billing mechanisms.
In 2019, net metering was removed and net feed-in was introduced, which became a challenge for developers.
Then the government again introduced net metering. Consumers are now sceptical about policies, believing that the government may change these again.
He also highlighted that in other states, installations of upto 500 kW need no safety certificates, unlike in Tamil Nadu where installations above 10 KW needs safety certificates. He also noted that in some states, the state government also provides subsidies apart from the central subsidies given by PM Surya Ghar Scheme. He also added that banks denied loans to Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs) which further hindered rooftop solar uptake in gated communities. He stressed the environmental benefits of rooftop solar i.e. 1 KW rooftop solar installed is equal to 6 trees planted and maintained for 20 years.
Mr. R.B. Senthil Kumar, Manager, spoke, representing Darling Electronics, a rooftop solar installation business. They have been in this sector since November 2024. He shared that PM Surya Ghar is an excellent scheme, but only a small number of potential users have benefitted from this. Mr. Senthil Kumar highlighted that solar PV systems should become a readily available product like AC and fans where all the procedures, including subsidy, loan applications etc. should be handled by the vendors themself, offering customers a seamless experience. He also shared that among customers who purchased rooftop solar PV systems from their stores, 60% went for bank loans and 40 % paid for it themselves.
Mr. Venu Gopal, Elsa Power Solutions suggested that the government should run campaigns to promote rooftop solar like the TATA campaigns in 2024. He also suggested that TNPDCL billing offices can have advertising banners so that it creates awareness among consumers. The one main challenge shared by him was that when consumers apply for subsidy the DISCOM doesn’t update installation details in the PM Surya Ghar Portal which delays the subsidy process. He noted that the Assistant Engineers (AE) are familiar with the TANGEDCO portal but not equipped to handle the national portal. He emphasised that knowledge building sessions should be conducted for vendors and bankers to guide consumers properly.
Ms. G. Sathyapriya, Assistant Engineer, General, Chennai South Circle, TNPDCL shared that sometimes inspection itself is a challenge as the panels might not be accessible. During the application process, consumers should opt for Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) panels for receiving the subsidy. Sometimes due to technical glitches, this option is not visible. The consumer is then forced to choose an option that is available - resulting in the application being rejected. She also shared that sometimes TANGEDCO might approve the application but the MNRE rejects the application without providing a reason which leads to consumers often blaming TANGEDCO for this, adding that the communication gap between MNRE and TANGEDCO was a great challenge.
Following the panel discussion, the following suggestions were discussed:
- Mr. Raja Ram, Prosumer suggested that there is a need to create awareness about rooftop solar PV systems among the public. He emphasised that TNPDCL should organise active campaigns, focusing on places where people gather, by displaying information banners and advertisements. In response to his suggestion Mrs.Jayanthi, Executive Engineer, TNGECL, said that an SMS service campaign to provide information to domestic consumers is already planned and is awaiting approval.
Panel Discussion 2 - Role of Banks in Promoting Rooftop Solar
The discussion transitioned to the second panel, moderated by Prof.Sethumadhavan, who noted that despite solar being technologically advanced and economically viable, it remains unpopular, and banks' efforts to promote it have been ineffective.
R.Sundaramoorthy, Canara Bank, spoke about the efforts and initiatives taken by Canara Bank in promoting rooftop solar under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme. He shared that as a public sector bank, Canara Bank puts lots of effort into promoting government schemes. He said that a total of 804 vendors from Tamil Nadu were registered on the MNRE portal. In India, 9600 loans have been sanctioned by Canara Bank and 5000 loans under the PM Surya Ghar scheme were in the pipeline. Also the bank conducts a review meeting every week where Surya Ghar scheme’s progress is reviewed. The bank's target is to receive 1,30,000 loan applications under the PM Surya Ghar scheme this year.
Mr. Indian, HDFC Bank mentioned that HDFC was not focussed on the PM Surya Ghar scheme so far, but that they would definitely prioritise it now.
Mr. Elanchezhiyan, Punjab National Bank stated that PNB was previously unaware of rooftop solar as a product, but after this workshop, the bank was eager to engage in this sector. He noted that awareness among people is important and the Tamil Nadu government should try to advertise and present solar as an essential commodity like televisions and fans.
Mr. Raghavendra, Bajaj Finserv, shared that they directly work with vendors, including tie-ups with manufacturers where loans are provided at a rate of 12 - 13 % interest. They have started a separate department for solar panels and are planning to introduce a no-interest scheme for customers. Mr. R B Senthil Kumar added that Non-Banking Financial Companies' interest is higher, but the process is seamless and takes less time than Nationalised Banks.
After the session, Mr. L. Venkatesh, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Developers Association, highlighted the existing knowledge gap within financial institutions regarding solar energy concepts and the PM Surya Ghar scheme. He emphasised that bankers need to enhance their understanding of these topics. Mr. Venkatesh also mentioned that the Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Developers Association is prepared to organise capacity-building programs for bankers throughout Tamil Nadu.
Prof. Sethumadhavan wrapped up the panel discussion by emphasising that bankers need to be educated on technicalities of rooftop solar as it is crucial for promoting its adoption.
Prosumer Experiences:
The discussion shifted to prosumer experiences, featuring stories from residents who have installed solar systems, including those who have taken loans and those who have self-financed their projects.
Mr. Yuvraj Nandagopal, Prosumer, Padur installed a 4.5 kW solar system at his home to tackle rising electricity bills. After researching the PM Surya Ghar scheme, he contacted vendors through the website, shortlisted two, and finalised one based on cost considerations. He said that the system was running smoothly, and that he is satisfied with the outcome. After installing the solar system, Mr.Yuvraj said he was relieved of the burden of electricity bills and can now use appliances without worrying about high electricity bills. Yuvraj faced delays with his subsidy application, but after taking it up on Twitter and tagging TANGEDCO and MNRE, his application was approved within two weeks, and he received the Rs.78,000 subsidy amount within a month.
Mr. Sukumar, Prosumer, Mylapore, initially hesitated but ultimately installed a 2 kW solar system 8 years ago. After experiencing its advantages, he upgraded to 5 kW and now advocates for rooftop solar. He ensures the system's efficiency with regular monthly cleaning and is so satisfied that he has recommended it to many friends.
Mr. Prince, Prosumer, Adyar, mentioned that he bought a new apartment in Chennai in 2018, but his Resident Welfare Association (RWA) stopped him from installing solar due to opposition from other members of the Resident Welfare Association. However, after the PM Surya Ghar Scheme launched in 2024, he installed solar at his native place and had a hassle-free online application process experience. Despite this, he notes that installing solar in private flats within apartments remains a challenge.
Q&A session:
Q&A session followed, providing an opportunity for participants to ask questions and clarify their doubts.
- Mr. Yazhkumar, Adyar, said that he has seen a lot of analysis stating that Tamil Nadu’s rooftop solar installed capacity is comparatively low. He also mentioned that other state governments give subsidies apart from that available through the PM Surya Ghar scheme. He requested CAG to work on this as this can promote the adoption of rooftop solar in Tamilnadu.
- Ms. Ganga Sreedhar from RA Puram shared that a 10-flat apartment complex in her neighbourhood installed a 10 kW solar system for common areas. Despite generating 1400 units and supplying 1000 units to the grid, they received an electricity bill of Rs.7000, which was higher than before. The bill included a fixed charge of ₹2700 and a network charge of Rs.4750 for the solar PV system, making solar installation economically unviable. The CAG team mentioned that they will visit the site for auditing the rooftop solar and give appropriate suggestions.
- Mr. Somasundaram, Sholinganallur, a resident of a gated community, proposed that builders should be mandated to install rooftop solar systems during the construction phase of apartment complexes. It was clarified that existing regulations under the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules 2019 already specify that builders must allocate one-third of the rooftop area for rooftop solar panels.
Mr. Bharath Ram, Senior Researcher, CAG concluded the workshop, emphasising that this initiative is an ongoing engagement aimed at raising awareness and promoting the adoption of solar energy. He extended a vote of thanks to all participating organisations and individuals, acknowledging their contributions to the event's success.
Conclusion
The event successfully brought together stakeholders to discuss the benefits and challenges of adopting rooftop solar energy. With engaging discussions, success stories, and expert insights, the workshop marked an important step towards promoting solar energy adoption and capacity building. Efforts to promote rooftop solar adoption will continue, with a focus on raising awareness, addressing challenges, and driving growth in the sector.