Assam Ranks 8th in India for Rooftop Solar Installations, Eyes 6th Spot With 80,000 Units Completed

Assam has emerged as one of India's leading states in rooftop solar adoption, with approximately 80,000 installations already completed across the state, placing it 8th in the country.

The state is now within striking distance of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, trailing them by just 7,000–8,000 installations, and could soon move up to 6th position nationally.

This was disclosed by the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) at the 37th meeting of the State Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC), held in January 2026.

Solar Boom Creating Financial Pressure on APDCL

While the rapid expansion of rooftop solar is a significant achievement, it is also creating a financial challenge for the state's power distribution company.

As more consumers generate their own solar power during daylight hours, they stop drawing electricity from the grid and instead inject surplus power back into it. However, during non-solar hours — when demand peaks — APDCL has to procure power at significantly higher costs.

This mismatch is resulting in financial losses for the DISCOM, and APDCL has proposed the implementation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) policy to compensate for these losses. The company suggested that the government could take up the matter at the Forum of Regulators (FOR) meeting. 

Also Read: APDCL Announces 36-Hour Downtime for Cloud Migration

Banks Brought On Board to Ease Solar Adoption

To accelerate rooftop solar adoption and address delays in government subsidy disbursement, APDCL has facilitated loan arrangements with several major banks.

Consumers can now access financing through State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank — making solar installations more accessible to a wider section of the population.

Power Infrastructure Funding Under Scrutiny

The SAC meeting also raised questions about how the Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Limited (AEGCL) plans to meet its substantial infrastructure investment requirements.

AEGCL had initially proposed projects worth around Rs 12,000 crore, but due to financial constraints, the proposed outlay has since been scaled back significantly to Rs 3,492 crore.

Senior officials suggested exploring guarantee mechanisms to secure lower-cost funding and adopting alternative business models for project financing, given the state government's limited fiscal capacity to support all planned initiatives.

The meeting concluded with SAC members urging that all pending action points be carried forward to the next session.

PM Surya Ghar Scheme Driving Installations

Rooftop solar systems in Assam are heavily subsidised under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which offers up to a 40% subsidy for residential installations.

A 3 kW system typically costs between Rs 87,000 and Rs 1.25 lakh after subsidies are applied. The state has set a target of installing solar systems in one lakh households, using APDCL-empanelled vendors for installation and net metering setups that can generate between 120 and 390 units of electricity per month.