India's solar curtailment hits record 8,133 GWh in a quarter as grid lags behind renewable expansion
India wasted a record 8,133 GWh of solar power in April–June 2026 due to grid security issues, while the PM Surya Ghar rooftop scheme reached 4.8 million households.
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India's solar power curtailment reached an all-time quarterly high of 8,133 GWh between April and June 2026, according to data disclosed by Minister of State for New & Renewable Energy Shripad Naik in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on July 28.
The minister attributed the curtailment to grid security concerns and a timing mismatch between the commissioning of new transmission lines and the rapid deployment of renewable energy projects. Monthly figures show 2,417 GWh wasted in April, 3,235 GWh in May, and 2,481 GWh in June.
Meanwhile, the government's flagship PM Surya Ghar rooftop solar scheme, launched in February 2024, has made significant headway. As of July 22, 2026, the program had received 7,525,418 applications. Of these, 3,972,447 rooftop solar systems have been installed, benefiting 4,802,717 households. The government has disbursed ₹27,343.90 crore in central financial assistance under the scheme.
In the fiscal year 2025-26 alone, 1,871,000 rooftop solar systems were installed, adding 6.7 GW of cumulative capacity and reaching 2,271,000 households. More than 1,893,000 beneficiaries have seen their electricity bills reduced to zero, depending on their self-consumption patterns.
The PM Surya Ghar scheme also covers installations on government and commercial buildings, though those do not qualify for central financial assistance.
The contrasting trends highlight a growing strain on India's power infrastructure: while rooftop solar adoption surges, utility-scale solar farms are increasingly forced to shut down generation because the grid cannot absorb the output. Addressing the transmission bottleneck will be critical for India to meet its renewable energy targets.