GUIDES · GUJARAT
Rooftop Solar Gujarat 2026, Complete Guide to Cost and Subsidy
Rooftop solar in Gujarat 2026 explained. Discoms, the ₹78,000 PM Surya Ghar subsidy, net metering, costs from ₹50,000 per kWp, sizing and install timeline.
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A rooftop solar system in Gujarat costs about ₹50,000 per kWp before subsidy, and a home that installs 3 kW or more gets the full central subsidy of ₹78,000 under PM Surya Ghar. For a family paying about ₹3,000 a month, a 3.3 kWp system costs roughly ₹87,000 after subsidy. This guide covers the discoms, subsidy, net metering, sizing, choosing an installer and the timeline, written from our work in Bharuch district since 2003.
Gujarat leads India in rooftop solar
Gujarat has installed more homes under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana than any other state. SolarQuarter reported about 5.94 lakh installations in Gujarat by March 2026. Scheme figures for December 2025 put the state’s rooftop capacity under the scheme at 1,828 MW.
District numbers show where the growth has been. DeshGujarat reported on 8 May 2026 that Surat district had about 74,840 homes with rooftop solar under the scheme, Ahmedabad 69,522, Rajkot 65,514 and Vadodara 50,100. No public figure is available for Bharuch district.
The reasons are simple. Gujarat has strong sun for most of the year. The discoms have handled large volumes of applications. And a home system of 3 kW or more now costs roughly half of its full price once the subsidy lands.
The four discoms and Torrent Power
Your rooftop solar application goes to the company that supplies your electricity. The name is printed on your bill.
| Distributor | Region | Main areas |
|---|---|---|
| DGVCL | South Gujarat | Surat, Bharuch, Narmada, Tapi, Navsari, Valsad, Dang |
| MGVCL | Central Gujarat | Vadodara and surrounding districts |
| UGVCL | North Gujarat | Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad rural and the northern districts |
| PGVCL | Saurashtra and Kutch | Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Kutch and the rest of the peninsula |
| Torrent Power | City licensee | Ahmedabad and Surat city areas |
The subsidy amount is the same for all of them because it comes from the central government. The feasibility approval, inspection and net meter fitting are handled by your discom. Gujarat also routes applications through the state’s SURYA Gujarat portal run with GUVNL and GEDA. A registered installer handles this side for you.
Subsidy under PM Surya Ghar
The central subsidy is for residential homes. It pays ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, up to a maximum of ₹78,000 for systems of 3 kW and above. Housing societies and RWAs can get ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities such as lifts, pumps and EV charging, up to 500 kW. Shops and factories get no central subsidy.
To qualify, you need your own house with a suitable roof, a valid electricity connection and no earlier solar subsidy on the same connection. Panels must be ALMM-listed domestic panels. Plan around the central ₹78,000 and let your installer confirm any state benefit at filing time. Our Gujarat subsidy guide covers the state question.
Farhan Qureshi in Sherkhi, Bharuch, took an SBI solar loan for the system. The ₹78,000 subsidy reached the bank account in 6 weeks. Our solar subsidy guide for Gujarat explains what you actually receive, and our PM Surya Ghar subsidy guide for Bharuch walks through the portal step by step. If you are paying in instalments, read our post on solar loans and EMI in Gujarat.
Net metering in Gujarat
Subsidised home systems in Gujarat connect to the grid through a net meter. The bi-directional meter records what you import and what you export. Solar units first run the house, surplus goes to the grid and the bill charges only the net import. Surplus beyond your use in the billing period is credited at about ₹2.25 per unit under current GERC rules, which can change.
Your sanctioned load matters. System capacity is usually capped relative to it, so a house with a low sanctioned load may need a load enhancement first. An on-grid system also shuts down during a power cut as a safety rule. For backup you need a hybrid system with a battery, which costs more. Our DGVCL net metering guide covers the bill in detail, and our comparison of on-grid, hybrid and off-grid solar explains when a battery makes sense.
What it costs
These numbers come from our savings calculator. The model uses ₹50,000 per kWp, 550 W panels and 4.2 units per kWp per day, the yearly average we see in Bharuch.
| Monthly bill | Array kWp | Panels | Cost | Subsidy | You pay | Saved per month (year 1) | 25-year saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹1,500 | 1.65 | 3 | ₹82,500 | ₹49,500 | ₹33,000 | ₹1,552 | ₹8.66 lakh |
| ₹2,000 | 2.2 | 4 | ₹1,10,000 | ₹63,600 | ₹46,400 | ₹2,070 | ₹11.55 lakh |
| ₹3,000 | 3.3 | 6 | ₹1,65,000 | ₹78,000 | ₹87,000 | ₹3,105 | ₹17.33 lakh |
| ₹4,000 | 4.4 | 8 | ₹2,20,000 | ₹78,000 | ₹1,42,000 | ₹4,140 | ₹23.10 lakh |
| ₹6,000 | 6.05 | 11 | ₹3,02,500 | ₹78,000 | ₹2,24,500 | ₹6,051 | ₹32.89 lakh |
| ₹10,000 | 9.9 | 18 | ₹4,95,000 | ₹78,000 | ₹4,17,000 | ₹10,033 | ₹53.91 lakh |
The model assumes each solar unit saves ₹8, which fits a home on the higher slabs once fuel charge and duty are included. Homes with low consumption pay less per unit, so each unit saved is worth less and payback takes longer. For typical homes, 3 to 5 years is a fair range. Businesses pay full price with no subsidy, and our model puts their payback at about 3.8 years at ₹8 per unit. Our solar panel price guide breaks down how brand and structure change the cost.
Sizing your system
Start from your units, not your bill amount. Look at twelve months of bills and take the average monthly units. In our Bharuch model each kWp produces about 126 units a month on average over the year. So a home using 375 units a month needs about 3 kWp. Summer bills with ACs running are higher, and the monsoon lowers generation in July and August, so the yearly average is the right basis.
Roof space is the other limit. A 550 W panel takes roughly 2.6 square metres, and you need gaps for walking and cleaning. Water tanks, stair rooms and neighbouring buildings cast shade, and even partial shade on one panel lowers the output of the string. Our post on what size solar system your home needs sizes systems by bill and number of ACs.
Choosing an installer
The subsidy only comes through a registered vendor, but registration alone does not make an installer good. Ask who files the portal and net metering paperwork, and whether you pay before or after approval. Ask for the panel and inverter brand in writing, the structure material and height, and the warranty terms for each part. Ask who does the installation. Many firms subcontract. Ask how service works after the first year and who cleans in dusty months.
Local conditions matter. In South Gujarat that means Narmada monsoon storms, chemical estate dust around Ankleshwar and Panoli, and salt air along the coast at Dahej, Vagra and Jambusar. Coastal sites need hot-dip galvanised or aluminium structures with stainless fasteners. Our checklist on how to choose a solar installer lists the checks to run before you sign.
Timeline from application to subsidy
- Register on pmsuryaghar.gov.in with your state, discom, consumer number, mobile and email.
- Apply for rooftop solar and wait for discom technical feasibility approval.
- Choose a registered vendor and get the system installed, usually in one or two days.
- Submit plant details and apply for the net meter.
- Discom inspection, net meter fitting and commissioning certificate on the portal.
- Submit bank details and a cancelled cheque. The portal states the subsidy arrives within about 30 days.
End to end, the process commonly takes one to two months, depending on discom workload and the season. Rakesh Patel in Zadeshwar put it this way, “Installed in one day. They send generation reports on WhatsApp every month.”
After installation
Panels need cleaning. In town, once a month is usually enough. Near GIDC estates, every two weeks in the dry season is sensible. Use soft water and a soft brush early in the morning, with no detergent and no pressure washer. Our cleaning and maintenance guide covers the monsoon, soot and hard water.
Our focus is South Gujarat
We are a family-run shop in Bharuch, in business since 2003. We have installed more than 500 rooftops across Bharuch city, Ankleshwar, Panoli, Dahej, Vagra, Jambusar, Valia and Amod, with jobs out to Vadodara and Surat. For our nearest neighbours, see our posts on rooftop solar in Ankleshwar and factory solar in Ankleshwar, Panoli and Dahej GIDC. Our residential solar page lists what the home offer includes.
Talk to us
Send your latest bill on WhatsApp at 98241 95027 for a free proposal within 48 hours. You can run your own numbers on the savings calculator or visit our shop at Mehfuz Complex, opposite Patel Welfare Hospital, Bharuch.
See every town we have worked in →
Want the number for your own roof?
Send your last electricity bill on WhatsApp. We reply the same day with a size and a price, and the site visit is free.
Questions people ask
How much does a 3 kW rooftop solar system cost in Gujarat in 2026?
At a quote-level average of ₹50,000 per kWp, a 3.3 kWp system with six 550 W panels costs about ₹1,65,000. After the ₹78,000 PM Surya Ghar subsidy, a household pays about ₹87,000. The final price depends on panel brand, structure height and roof type. Prices vary between installers and districts, so compare full quotes that list every component.
Which discom do I apply to for rooftop solar in Gujarat?
You apply to the discom named on your electricity bill. DGVCL covers South Gujarat, MGVCL covers central Gujarat around Vadodara, UGVCL covers North Gujarat, and PGVCL covers Saurashtra and Kutch. Torrent Power serves Ahmedabad and Surat city areas. The PM Surya Ghar portal asks you to select your state and discom during registration.
Does Gujarat give a state solar subsidy on top of PM Surya Ghar?
Figures online for a Gujarat state amount often come from earlier state schemes. The safe number to plan around is the central PM Surya Ghar subsidy, up to ₹78,000 for a home system of 3 kW or more. A good installer confirms any state benefit at the time of filing and does not promise an amount upfront.
How long does rooftop solar installation take in Gujarat?
The installation itself takes one or two days for most homes. The full process, from portal registration and discom feasibility approval to net meter fitting and commissioning, commonly takes one to two months depending on discom workload. The subsidy usually reaches your bank account a few weeks after commissioning. The portal states about 30 days.
Is rooftop solar worth it in Gujarat?
For most homes paying ₹2,000 or more a month, yes. Gujarat gets strong sunshine for most of the year, and the central subsidy cuts the cost of a 3 kW system roughly in half. Homes on lower tariff slabs save less per unit, so payback is longer. A fair range for typical homes is 3 to 5 years, against a 25-year panel life.
What documents are needed for rooftop solar subsidy in Gujarat?
You need a recent electricity bill with your consumer number, proof that the house is yours, a mobile number, an email address, and bank details with a cancelled cheque for the subsidy transfer. The system must use ALMM-listed domestic panels and be installed by a registered vendor. Your installer usually helps upload these on the portal.