Haryana is accelerating a rooftop solar drive in Gurgaon and Faridabad, with buildings expected to meet existing solar requirements by 2027 after more than a decade of weak implementation. The initiative will combine building-code revisions, financial incentives and power-infrastructure upgrades to increase solar generation in two of the National Capital Region’s fastest-growing urban areas.
The state first mandated rooftop solar panels for several categories of properties under the Energy Conservation Act in September 2014. The rules were amended in March 2016 and require installations on residential plots of 500 square yards or more, group housing societies and commercial buildings with a power load exceeding 50 kW. The required capacity varies according to the property’s size and electricity consumption.
Implementation has remained limited. A 2019 study by the Centre for Science and Environment found that Gurgaon had installed 25 MW of rooftop solar by March 2019, compared with 54.5 MW that had been approved. Industrial users accounted for 53% of installations, commercial buildings for 38% and residential high-rises for only 9%.
Officials in Haryana’s Power department have identified weak enforcement as a major reason for the shortfall. Although the Town and Country Planning Department made rooftop solar a condition for obtaining occupation certificates under the Haryana Building Code, checks largely stopped after developers handed housing complexes over to resident welfare associations, according to sources cited in the report.
The rollout has also faced practical and administrative obstacles. Upfront installation costs, limited rooftop space occupied by lift rooms and cooling towers, and delays in obtaining net-metering approvals from Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam have slowed adoption, according to discom officials. These constraints are particularly significant in high-rise housing, where the available roof area must serve multiple building services as well as energy generation.
The latest push follows a roadmap review meeting on June 4, during which Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini directed that no building in Haryana should remain without a solar panel installation by 2028. He also instructed planning authorities and local bodies to amend building codes and frame incentives for commercial and industrial consumers. The move was preceded by a June 2 joint review by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal and Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij, which examined power infrastructure in Gurugram and Faridabad under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme.
The state is also targeting 2.2 lakh solarised households by March 2027 under the PM Surya Ghar scheme. Officials are reviewing whether local distribution infrastructure can absorb more decentralised generation as rooftop systems expand.
The potential is substantial. CSE researchers estimated Gurgaon’s rooftop solar capacity at 150-200 MW, which could meet 15-20% of the city’s electricity demand. The estimate was set against an average load of 1,125 MW and summer peaks above 1,700 MW. Daytime generation could also reduce dependence on diesel generator sets, whose operation faces annual restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan during periods of poor air quality.
The immediate implementation schedule remains tied to the proposed building-code amendments, incentives and enforcement arrangements. The state’s stated milestones are a 2027 household solarisation target and a broader objective of solar installations across buildings by 2028.
