Majority Of Households In India Can Meet Power Needs With Small Rooftop Solar Systems

An analysis of domestic electricity consumption patterns and solar energy potential reveals significant opportunities for solar adoption across various consumer slabs. The data shows how solar plant capacities can align with consumer electricity usage to meet their energy needs efficiently. This study segments domestic consumers based on their average monthly electricity consumption and estimates the appropriate solar plant capacity required to fulfill their entire electricity requirement using either monofacial or bifacial solar panels.

Among the total domestic consumers, 55,60,306 have monthly electricity consumption up to 100 units. These consumers can meet their energy needs with just a 1 kW solar plant, which has a generation potential of 140 to 180 units per month. Expanding this range, 1,00,18,846 consumers—those with monthly consumption up to 250 units—can meet their requirements with 1–2 kW solar plants. These small-sized plants are suitable for the majority of domestic consumers and can generate between 140 and 360 units monthly.

Further analysis reveals that 1,04,46,210 consumers, who consume less than 400 units per month, can meet their energy demand using solar plants of 1 to 3 kW capacity. These monofacial solar plants can generate 140 to 430 units monthly. For those opting for bifacial panels, the requirement reduces further, as they generate more energy. Consumers with consumption up to 350 units need only a 2 kW bifacial plant, while those consuming up to 400 units require a 3 kW plant, with generation potential ranging from 180 to 540 units.

In the 401–500 unit consumption range, 67,199 consumers would require a 4 kW monofacial plant or a 3 kW bifacial plant. These systems can generate 540 to 570 units monthly, sufficient to meet their needs. Similarly, 8,359 consumers falling in the 501–700 unit range would need a 5 kW monofacial plant or a 4 kW bifacial plant, generating up to 720 units monthly.

A small segment of 17,860 consumers, representing just 0.17% of the total domestic consumers, have an average monthly consumption exceeding 700 units. These consumers would need solar plants of at least 6 kW capacity to meet their full energy requirements. These systems would produce 860 to 1080 units monthly, depending on the panel type used.

Overall, the analysis highlights that 99.11% of domestic consumers can meet their entire energy needs with solar systems of up to 3 kW capacity. Furthermore, a staggering 99.83% of all domestic consumers can achieve full energy self-sufficiency with solar plants of up to 5 kW. The findings underscore the viability of decentralized solar adoption for residential consumers and point toward a scalable path for widespread solar energy utilization in homes. These insights are critical for planning rooftop solar programs and tailoring policies to enhance adoption among domestic users across various consumption levels.