Here Comes the Sun: Residential Consumers’ Experience with Rooftop Solar PV in Five Indian Cities

This working paper analyzes the experiences of residential consumers installing rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across five Indian cities, identifying key information, financial, and institutional barriers that hinder the adoption of solar energy in the residential sector.

• Residential consumers face a lack of clear, objective, and accessible information regarding the installation of solar PV systems, leading to a heavy reliance on vendors. While state and national nodal agencies provide information via online platforms and apps, consumers prefer references from friends, family, and neighbors.
• The absence of customized financing options and a skewed tariff structure discourage consumers from opting for rooftop PV. Current financing instruments often treat solar systems as standard consumer durable goods, resulting in loan collateral requirements that are disproportionate to the system's cost.
• Institutional challenges and a lack of coordination between government agencies negatively impact the consumer experience. Specific examples include electricity utilities in Chennai opposing rooftop solar due to conflicts with grid-based supply, and municipality architectural restrictions in Chandigarh hindering installations. Consumers also report billing challenges, delays, and a lack of official capacity to provide guidance.
• India's progress toward its target of 40 gigawatts (GW) of rooftop solar capacity by 2022 was significantly behind schedule, with only 1,222 megawatts (MW) installed as of July 2018, representing less than 5 percent of the target.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Here Comes the Sun: Residential Consumers’ Experience with Rooftop Solar PV in Five Indian Cities. https://www.wri.org/research/here-comes-sun-residential-consumers-experience-rooftop-solar-pv-five-indian-cities

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Here Comes the Sun: Residential Consumers’ Experience with Rooftop Solar PV in Five Indian Cities. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/here-comes-sun-residential-consumers-experience-rooftop-solar-pv-five-indian-cities.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Here Comes the Sun: Residential Consumers’ Experience with Rooftop Solar PV in Five Indian Cities |url=https://www.wri.org/research/here-comes-sun-residential-consumers-experience-rooftop-solar-pv-five-indian-cities |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendhere, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Here Comes the Sun: Residential Consumers’ Experience with Rooftop Solar PV in Five Indian Cities}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/here-comes-sun-residential-consumers-experience-rooftop-solar-pv-five-indian-cities}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }