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Rooftop solar in Uttarakhand: up to ₹85,800 from the Centre, no state top-up for new systems, and ₹2 a unit for surplus

What a home in Dehradun, Haridwar, Haldwani, Roorkee, Rudrapur or a hill town can claim today, what became of the state subsidy, and what UPCL pays for the units you export.

Last updated: 30 October 2026 · Luminity

Uttarakhand households get a better central deal on rooftop solar than most of India. The state is one of the special-category states under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, along with Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the North East, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, so the Centre pays ₹33,000 per kW instead of ₹30,000. A 3 kW system qualifies for up to ₹85,800.

What the state no longer adds is its own money. Until March 2025 Uttarakhand paid a top-up of ₹17,000 per kW, up to ₹51,000, which took a 3 kW subsidy close to ₹1.37 lakh. That top-up was discontinued from 1 April 2025. And from the same date, the Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) cut the price UPCL pays for surplus units from new plants to a flat ₹2.00 a unit.

Demand has held up regardless. By 31 July 2026 Uttarakhand had 1,42,028 applications on the national portal and 97,219 systems installed, covering 97,583 households with 350.06 MW, and ₹751.44 crore of central subsidy had been released, according to figures the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy gave the Lok Sabha.

As on 30 October 2026: central subsidy ₹33,000 for 1 kW, ₹66,000 for 2 kW, ₹85,800 for 3 kW and above. No state top-up for plants commissioned after 31 March 2025. Net surplus from plants commissioned in 2025-26 and 2026-27 is paid at ₹2.00 a unit. Figures can change; UPCL, UERC and the national portal have the final word.

What you get

System size	Central subsidy in Uttarakhand (₹)	Rest of India, for comparison (₹)
1 kW	33,000	30,000
2 kW	66,000	60,000
3 kW and above	85,800 (maximum)	78,000 (maximum)
Housing societies and RWAs (common facilities, up to 500 kW at 3 kW per house)	19,800 per kW	18,000 per kW

MNRE also sets a higher benchmark cost for special-category states, ₹55,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹49,500 for the third, against ₹50,000 and ₹45,000 elsewhere, because installation in hill areas costs more. On the benchmark, a 3 kW system works out to ₹1,59,500, or about ₹73,700 after the central subsidy. Your vendor’s quote and the portal decide the real numbers, and nothing extra is paid above 3 kW.

PM Surya Ghar itself is approved to run until 2026-27, which ends on 31 March 2027.

What happened to the state subsidy

What it was: ₹17,000 per kW for homes, up to ₹51,000 for 3 kW, paid on top of the central subsidy.
When it stopped: UERC’s generic tariff order of 20 August 2025 records that the state government discontinued it from 1 April 2025, and says subsidy questions are for the state government, not the Commission.
Who still gets it: in March 2026 the state cabinet restored the subsidy for plants that were operational by 31 March 2025, including those caught by the cut-off. UREDA began releasing the money, with about 3,000 cases still being processed, Uttarakhand News Network reported. UREDA posts release lists on its notice board.
Who does not: plants commissioned from 1 April 2025 onward get the central subsidy only, unless the state announces a new scheme.

How net metering works in Uttarakhand

Rooftop and small solar plants are covered by Regulation 37 of UERC’s Renewable Energy Regulations, 2023, as rewritten by the First Amendment of 2024, plus the commissioning rules in the Second Amendment of November 2025 and the yearly generic tariff orders. The rules that matter for homes:

Rule	What it says
Size limit	Up to 1 MW per premises. Other consumers are limited to 100% of sanctioned load or contract demand, but for domestic consumers the size is irrespective of sanctioned load.
Settlement	Export and import are settled on a net-energy basis at the end of each billing period.
If you import more	You pay the normal tariff for the net units UPCL supplied, without monthly minimum charges for the solar capacity installed.
If you export more	UPCL pays for the net surplus at the generic tariff set by UERC, or a bid-discovered rate if lower.
Surplus rate	₹2.00 a unit for plants commissioned in 2025-26, for their useful life, irrespective of subsidy. Kept at ₹2.00 for plants commissioned in 2026-27. Older plants keep the tariff that applied when they were commissioned.
Up to 10 kW	Complete applications are deemed accepted without a technical feasibility study.
Connection	UPCL must sign the connection agreement, fit the meter and commission the system within 15 days of your installation certificate. Since November 2025 the meter must be fitted within 7 days of a complete application.
Commissioning date	The first injection into the grid after the meter is fitted and the Electrical Inspector’s clearance certificate is issued, with at least a 75% performance ratio shown within 10 days.
Virtual net metering	Available to domestic consumers and government and local authority offices, from 5 kW up to 75 kW.

At ₹2.00 a unit, an exported unit earns far less than an imported unit costs you. So the money is in using your solar power at home, not in selling it. Size the system to your daytime and monthly use, not to the size of your roof.

The ₹2 rate and the challenges to it

UERC first set the flat ₹2.00 in August 2025 for 2025-26. In that order it said an inflated export price would leave other consumers cross-subsidising rooftop owners. Its order of 4 June 2026 kept ₹2.00 for 2026-27, noting that no developer or stakeholder had objected to the draft and that net metering is meant to help consumers cut their own bills and become more self-sufficient. The RE Power Generators Society then sought a review, which UERC rejected on 12 October 2026, holding that it had already considered the issues. Unless that decision is challenged successfully elsewhere, ₹2.00 is the rate for plants commissioned this financial year.

How to apply

Register on pmsuryaghar.gov.in with your UPCL consumer number. Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) is the distribution company for the whole state. Our PM Surya Ghar guide has the steps.
Check your last 12 months of bills and pick a size. Up to 3 kW gets the most subsidy per kW.
Choose a vendor registered on the portal. Systems up to 10 kW do not need a feasibility study.
After installation, submit the installation certificate and upload the system details. UPCL fits the net meter, the Electrical Inspector issues clearance, and the plant has to show its 75% performance ratio.
Once the inspection is approved on the portal, the central subsidy goes to your bank account. Keep your commissioning certificate: its date fixes your surplus rate.

The national helpline is 15555.

Common pitfalls

Counting on the state top-up. It is not available for plants commissioned from 1 April 2025.
Oversizing for export income. Net surplus earns only ₹2.00 a unit.
Skipping the agreement with UPCL. The ₹2.00 rate is for plants on net metering with a power purchase agreement. In 2024 UERC noted that plants connected on a no-objection basis without one inject surplus free of cost.
Losing track of the commissioning date. Since November 2025 it depends on the meter, the Electrical Inspector’s clearance and the performance test, and it decides which year’s tariff you get.
Installing outside the scheme. A system not registered on the national portal does not get the central subsidy.

Questions people ask

How much subsidy does an Uttarakhand household get for rooftop solar?

Uttarakhand is a special-category state under PM Surya Ghar, so the central subsidy is 10% higher than in most states: ₹33,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹19,800 for the third kW. That is ₹33,000 for 1 kW, ₹66,000 for 2 kW and a maximum of ₹85,800 for 3 kW or more.

Does Uttarakhand still give its own ₹17,000-per-kW subsidy?

Not for new systems. The state’s top-up of ₹17,000 per kW, up to ₹51,000 for 3 kW, was discontinued from 1 April 2025, as UERC recorded in its August 2025 tariff order. In March 2026 the state cabinet restored it for plants that were operational by 31 March 2025, and UREDA has been paying those pending claims.

How much does UPCL pay for surplus solar units?

For rooftop and small solar plants on net metering commissioned from 1 April 2025, UERC set ₹2.00 per unit for net surplus, whatever subsidy the plant received, for the plant’s whole life. UERC kept the same ₹2.00 for plants commissioned in 2026-27, and on 12 October 2026 it rejected a developers’ body’s petition to review that order. Plants commissioned earlier keep the rate in force when they were commissioned.

Can I install a system bigger than my sanctioned load?

Yes, for a home. UERC’s rules cap rooftop systems at 100% of sanctioned load for most consumers, but say that for domestic consumers the capacity is irrespective of sanctioned load, up to the overall limit of 1 MW per premises. Load enhancement and security deposit charges can still apply.

When is my system treated as commissioned?

Since UERC’s amendment of November 2025, the commissioning date is the first injection into UPCL’s grid after two steps: UPCL installs the meter, which it must do within 7 days of a complete application, and the Electrical Inspector issues a clearance certificate. The plant must then show a performance ratio of at least 75% within 10 days. The commissioning date matters because it fixes your surplus rate.

Is a feasibility study needed for a small system?

Not up to 10 kW. UERC’s 2024 amendment says complete applications up to 10 kW are deemed accepted without a technical feasibility study, and UPCL must sign the connection agreement, fit the meter and commission the system within 15 days of you submitting the installation certificate.

Sources

The subsidy rates, special-category list, benchmark costs, housing society rate and scheme period are from MNRE’s PM Surya Ghar guidelines for central financial assistance to residential consumers. The size limits, settlement rules, feasibility exemption, 15-day connection timeline and virtual net metering are from Regulation 37 of the UERC Renewable Energy Regulations, 2023, as substituted by the First Amendment of 2024. The commissioning rules are from the UERC Second Amendment notified on 27 November 2025. The ₹2.00 rate, the end of the state subsidy from 1 April 2025 and the Commission’s reasoning are from UERC’s generic tariff order of 20 August 2025. The 2026-27 rate is from its order of 4 June 2026, and the rejected review from its order of 12 October 2026. The note on no-objection plants is from the Commission’s 2024 statement of reasons. State figures are from the annexure to Lok Sabha unstarred question 2806, answered on 5 August 2026. The cabinet’s restoration of the state subsidy is as reported by Uttarakhand News Network in March 2026.

Related reporting is on the solar and policy pages. Other state guides: Uttar Pradesh (a ₹15,000-per-kW top-up, up to ₹30,000), Rajasthan (₹17,000 and 150 free units), Delhi (up to ₹78,000, with free plants for homes up to 400 units), Maharashtra (the SMART scheme), Gujarat (central subsidy only), Tamil Nadu (up to ₹22,000), Kerala (time-of-day net metering rules since January 2026), Karnataka (central subsidy only, with KERC’s 2026 rules opening net metering to all consumers), Andhra Pradesh (free plants for SC/ST homes, surplus paid monthly at ₹2.09 a unit), Telangana (central subsidy only for self-built systems, DISCOM-run plants planned for Gruha Jyothi homes), Haryana (a state grant of up to ₹50,000 for families earning up to ₹1.80 lakh, interest-free help for prompt payers), Madhya Pradesh (central subsidy only, with PM Surya Ghar processing and meter testing fees waived since June 2026) and Odisha (a state top-up of up to ₹60,000 on top of the central ₹78,000, until 2026-27). If a number here disagrees with your DISCOM, UERC or the national portal, theirs wins. Corrections: [email protected].