North and West India Drive Solar Utilization, but Regional Disparities Persist

Regional Disparity in India's Solar Power Utilisation

A stark regional disparity is evident in India's solar power utilisation, with northern and western states significantly outperforming the rest of the country in converting potential to installed capacity. Despite the national average remaining low at 3.16 percent, these regions have managed to achieve higher utilisation rates.

Regional Utilisation Rates

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Data shows that northern India has utilised 3.8 percent of its solar potential, marginally above the national average. Western India leads among regions with 4 percent utilisation, while the South stands at 3.6 percent. In contrast, regions such as the northeast (0.6 percent), east (0.7 percent), and central (1.3 percent) lag considerably.

In absolute terms, north India has an installed capacity of 36.1 GW against a potential of 947.3 GW. Western India follows with 29.2 GW installed out of a potential of 736.7 GW, while southern states have installed 31.6 GW against a potential of 880.2 GW.

State-Level Utilisation Rates

At the state level, the divide becomes even sharper. Delhi has utilised 56.98 percent of its solar potential, followed by Haryana at 31.93 percent and Punjab at 15.4 percent—well above the national average.

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Among states, Gujarat leads with an installed capacity of 18.5 GW, translating to 7.6 percent utilisation of its 243.2 GW potential. Rajasthan, despite having the highest potential at 828.8 GW, has achieved 3.41 percent utilisation with 28.3 GW installed.

Southern states present a mixed picture. Tamil Nadu (4.96 percent) and Karnataka (4.34 percent) perform above the national average, while Andhra Pradesh lags at 1.79 percent despite a high potential base of 299.3 GW.

Underutilised Regions

Eastern and northeastern states remain significantly underutilised. Odisha (0.45 percent), Meghalaya (0.03 percent), and Tripura (0.23 percent) report some of the lowest utilisation levels in the country.

The data indicates a concentration of solar deployment in northern and select western states, while large, untapped potential persists across eastern, northeastern, and central regions. Overall, India has installed 105.6 GW of solar capacity against a total assessed potential of 3,343.4 GW.