Visakhapatnam, Nov 13: With the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana gaining pace, around 66 lakh households have been solarised so far under the initiative, which aims to promote clean energy, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Friday.
Speaking at the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026 in Visakhapatnam, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said installation pace has improved dramatically from 118 days for the first 1 lakh installations to an average of 6 days now. The ministry is aiming for 5 days shortly, he added.
Joshi said under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, 66 lakh households have already benefited, against an initial target of 1 crore.
In Andhra Pradesh alone, 7.86 lakh households have been connected with rooftop solar, he said.
He noted that farmers and households are not only achieving zero electricity bills but also earning from excess power generation. Solar capacity has grown from 2.8 GW in 2014 to 175 GW today.
Non-fossil sources now account for about 55 per cent of India's total installed power capacity, putting the country firmly on track to achieve the 500 GW non-fossil capacity target by 2030.
He also referred to the upcoming PM-KUSUM 2, which will further solarise agricultural equipment and pumps.
Joshi also shared that 17 Memoranda of Understanding and 3 Government Orders in the renewable energy sector represent investments worth Rs 43,871 crore with an employment potential for around 4,700 people.
Speaking on the importance of clean energy and India's energy security progress, the minister recalled that peak demand has risen from 123 GW in 2012, when a major grid collapse left North India in darkness for nearly 72 hours, to 270 GW recently.
"This demand was met without interruption, with nearly 33 per cent coming from non-fossil sources..." he said.
