India has set an ambitious target of achieving 40 gigawatts (GW) of rooftop solar capacity by 2022. The installed capacity of rooftop solar as of July 2018 was 1,222 megawatts (MW)—this is less than 5 percent of the 2022 target. While there has been progress in the form of improvements in the performance of solar panels, availability of financing options, and favorable policy and regulatory ecosystems, rooftop solar in the residential sector is yet to gain momentum. Studies exploring reasons for poor uptake have approached the issue from the technical, institutional, and financial aspects. However, unlike traditional grid-based supply, meeting rooftop solar targets requires the active participation of the consumer; and therefore it is important to look at the sector from the consumer’s perspective.

This working paper documents and analyzes the experiences of the residential electricity consumer with installing rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems through household surveys in five Indian cities.