Chandigarh: For a growing number of households in Chandigarh, the monthly electricity bill has quietly disappeared.As rooftop solar panels spread across the city’s skyline under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY), 358 households have already reported a zero electricity bill in at least one billing cycle, according to data tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.The numbers underline Chandigarh’s rapid embrace of solar power. Of the 1,368 households that have installed rooftop solar systems under the scheme so far, a majority have opted for higher-capacity installations capable of meeting most, if not all, of their electricity needs. More than 1,200 households have installed systems above 3 kW, reflecting a shift from seeing solar as a green alternative to viewing it as a practical way to cut household expenses.While solar adoption has gathered momentum, concessional loans offered under the scheme have seen a lukewarm response. Since the scheme’s launch in February 2024, only 53 loan applications have been sanctioned in Chandigarh, with 34 disbursed so far, suggesting that many homeowners are financing installations on their own or through other means.The rise in residential solar comes as Chandigarh enters a new phase of its renewable energy journey. After becoming the country’s first Union Territory to achieve rooftop solar saturation across all eligible govt buildings and govt residences, the city added no fresh renewable energy capacity in 2025-26, following a record addition of 13.33 MW in the previous year.With govt rooftops largely covered, the solar spotlight is now firmly on private homes. Thousands of eligible households remain outside the programme despite subsidies and the prospect of substantial long-term savings.Chandigarh today has an installed solar generation capacity of 103 MW, of which 67 MW comes from solar systems installed on all 6,366 eligible govt office and residential buildings. The city’s renewable energy capacity addition has steadily climbed over the years — from 9.2 MW in 2021-22 and 3.52 MW in 2022-23 to 6.83 MW in 2023-24 before peaking at 13.33 MW in 2024-25.Nationally, the rooftop solar push is gathering pace. As of July 24, 2026, more than 40 lakh rooftop solar installations have been completed under the scheme, with nearly 19 lakh beneficiaries across the country reporting zero electricity bills during at least one billing period, depending on their consumption patterns.
