Press Release
‘TN Leads in Renewable Energy, Time to Realise Solar Rooftop Potential’: Experts On Strategies to Increase Uptake of Solar Energy in Chennai
Chennai, May 15, 2025: “Consumers can meet their energy needs right in their own homes with the adoption of solar rooftop. TNGECL is working on an online tool for Chennai city that will assess the solar rooftop energy potential for individual users based on thier electricity service connection number,” said Mr.Sundarrajan G, Member, Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, in his special address during a seminar to encourage adoption of solar rooftop in the city.
Journalists, policymakers, industry leaders, and community representatives came together for a seminar – “Higher Uptake of Rooftop Solar Energy – Can Media Play a Role?” – to catalyse the adoption of rooftop solar energy in Tamil Nadu. Jointly organised by Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), Asar Social Impact Advisors (Asar), and Poovulagin Nanbargal, the event looks to encourage and address challenges in the adoption of solar energy.
“Tamil Nadu is a national leader in renewable energy, yet its rooftop solar uptake remains disproportionately low. In Chennai, which consumes nearly 25% of the state’s electricity but contributes just 6% to its rooftop solar capacity,” explained Ms.Priya Pillai, Director, State Climate Action, Asar.
“The most powerful part? Decentralised solar is disaster-resilient. When nuclear or thermal plants shut down during emergencies, hundreds of towns and villages suffer,” Sundarrajan added.
The first panel focused on pathways for rooftop solar growth in Tamil Nadu. Mr.Vinodhan R.K., Former Director Technical, TNGECL, highlighted the importance of state support and technical handholding.
“The good news is, the system is now much more accessible. Earlier, installing rooftop solar meant dealing with multiple layers of approval from TANGEDCO, including site inspections and permissions. Today, that process has been simplified. For systems up to 10 kW, no prior permission is required. Consumers can simply apply and avail of the subsidy,” he added.
Challenges like high upfront costs, complex procedures, and lack of consumer trust were debated alongside solutions like bank financing, community solar models, and awareness campaigns.
“Most people are not aware that you can access solar loans without providing a guarantee. In one of the schemes, you can get loans of up to Rs.2 lakhs at an interest rate of around 6.5%. With rooftop solar, you get a government subsidy of Rs.78,000, and banks are offering a 10-year repayment period. But there’s very little consumer awareness about this,” Mr.Shyju Abraham, Divisional Manager - Retail Loans, Canara Bank, said.
“In Chennai, dealing with Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) is a challenge. They find it difficult to convince banks to provide loans without guarantees, as there is a question of who will handle the payments if the RWA president changes. Banks must consider making the process easier for RWAs to avail loan benefits,” said Mr.Ashok Kumar, President, Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Developers Association (TNSEDA).
He also pointed out that the Tamil Nadu Solar Power Policy 2019 has not been updated since then.
“For effective implementation, there should be a framework on how this policy will be implemented and updated as per the current scenario.”
Mr.Vinodhan R.K., Former Director Technical, in response, said that the TNGECL is developing an integrated Renewable Energy Policy that includes solar, wind, hydro, and biogas solutions.
Senior journalists Ms. Kavitha Muralidharan, Jency Samuel, Mr. S. Guruvamikanathan, R. Srikanth, Vincent D'souza, and RJ Bhavithra Krishnaswamy were a part of the panel which discussed the need for greater collaboration between media, communities, government and institutions.
Mr.Vishnu Mohan Rao, Programme Lead, CAG, reaffirmed the call for continued engagement.
“This seminar is a starting point. One major challenge is the operational maintenance of rooftop solar systems, especially when it comes to shared rooftops. Journalists are not just messengers—they are enablers of transformation. We all need to work together to generate greater awareness about the subject and encourage people to opt for rooftop solar energy solutions.”
For any further details or queries kindly contact:
G.N. Bharath Ram(CAG) - bharath.ram@cag.org.in
Hari Subbish Kumar (ASAR) - hari.subbish@asar.co.in