CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has retained its fourth position in installed capacity of solar energy in the country, with 10,153.58 MW in 2024-25 for the third year in a row, according to data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Rajasthan continues to top the list with 28,286.47 MW, followed by Gujarat with 18,496.66 MW, and Maharashtra with 10,687.27 MW. While Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) is actively exploring large-scale, ground-mounted solar projects, its involvement in key central schemes such as the PM Surya Ghar Yojana (PMSGY) and PM-KUSUM that encourage farmers to shift to renewable energy sources has been limited.
Under the PMSGY, which seeks to promote solar power generation in residential sector, 23,500 consumers were added over the last one year, contributing to just 125MW of capacity in TN. The scheme was launched last year with a target to cover 1 crore homes across the country, of which 25 lakh houses were supposed to be from Tamil Nadu. Bharathiya Electricity Engineers Association’s state general secretary E Natarajan said though Tamil Nadu launched awareness campaigns, such events saw a downswing after a few months. “Until now, the government has not set up a dedicated team for it,” he said.
A senior official from TNGECL said as per the revised order, the state has been given a target to include 3 lakh consumers under PMSGY by 2028. “At present, there are 850 approved vendors for solar panel installations across Tamil Nadu. We conduct monthly meetings with them and are monitoring the progress,” the official said.
He further pointed out that promoting residential solar power schemes in metro cities is difficult as large number of people live in apartments where installing solar panels is difficult.
K Kathirmathiyon, secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause, has said that many people in rural areas are still unaware of solar panel installation and its benefits. He appealed to the power utility to remove the network charges of Rs 1.59 per unit for solar power users.
According to MNRE data, the state’s off-grid solar capacity — mainly used by farmers — has reached 70.40 MW in 2025. This is a marginal increase from 52.26 MW in 2021, reflecting a growth of just 18.14 MW over four years.
Speaking about solar panels for farmlands, an official said, “Most farmers do not show interest as they already receive free electricity.”