TN retains fourth place in installed solar power capacity for third year

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has retained its fourth position in installed capacity of solar energy in the country, with 10,153.58 MW in 2024-25 for the third year in a row, according to data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Rajasthan continues to top the list with 28,286.47 MW, followed by Gujarat with 18,496.66 MW, and Maharashtra with 10,687.27 MW. While Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) is actively exploring large-scale, ground-mounted solar projects, its involvement in key central schemes such as the PM Surya Ghar Yojana (PMSGY) and PM-KUSUM that encourage farmers to shift to renewable energy sources has been limited.

Under the PMSGY, which seeks to promote solar power generation in residential sector, 23,500 consumers were added over the last one year, contributing to just 125MW of capacity in TN. The scheme was launched last year with a target to cover 1 crore homes across the country, of which 25 lakh houses were supposed to be from Tamil Nadu. Bharathiya Electricity Engineers Association’s state general secretary E Natarajan said though Tamil Nadu launched awareness campaigns, such events saw a downswing after a few months. “Until now, the government has not set up a dedicated team for it,” he said.