The Future of Rooftop Solar in India: Insights from OpenSolar’s India Team
To mark OpenSolar’s expansion into India, we sat down with our new India team to discuss the opportunities, challenges and momentum driving one of the world’s fastest-growing rooftop solar markets.
1 crore solar rooftops is one of the most ambitious energy goals anywhere in the world, and one that’s already transforming India’s solar industry.
Under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the Government of India is working towards installing 1 crore (10 million) rooftop solar systems by 2027. The country is also targeting 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and is already adding around 40 GW of solar every year. Combined with growing consumer awareness, improving access to finance, and strong policy support, the momentum behind rooftop solar in India has never been greater.
The numbers are impressive, but after spending the week meeting installers, partners and solar businesses across India, one thing became clear to our new Indian team: One crore solar rooftops is just the first milestone. The bigger opportunity lies in what comes next.
Indian installers are ready to grow
The team shared that their conversations with installers weren’t about whether demand exists; the demand is already here. Instead, the team said installers consistently spoke about the challenge of managing more projects without creating more admin.
Marketing Lead APAC Shaifali saw the same pattern in almost every conversation. “The pain points installers talked about are exactly the problems we’re already solving. We already have the software they’re looking for, with an end-to-end workflow that helps them manage their business more efficiently.”
As more homeowners choose solar, installers need tools that help them quote faster, design accurately and manage every project in an all-in-one solar operating system like OpenSolar.
True growth comes from helping solar businesses manage more projects without adding more complexity.
Millions of households haven’t made the switch yet
India’s progress has been remarkable, but the opportunity ahead is even bigger.
“We typically install around 40 GW each year,” says OpenSolar Head of India, Rohit. “Under the current subsidy scheme, there’s still around 22 GW of opportunity ahead, and with a population of 1.5 billion people, we’re only just getting started.”
The government’s 1 crore target focuses on residential rooftops. Beyond that sits an even larger opportunity as solar becomes a standard feature on homes across the country.
Much of this future growth will come from tier-two and tier-three cities, where government subsidies are helping make solar a practical household investment rather than a luxury.
Solar finance is making adoption easier
Financing is becoming another major driver of rooftop solar adoption. Dedicated solar loans from public sector banks and Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFCs) are making systems more affordable, with increasingly competitive interest rates helping more homeowners make the switch.
While financing has become more streamlined in larger cities, installers told us that documentation and approval processes can still be manual in many tier-two markets. As those processes become more digital, they’ll help accelerate solar adoption even further.
Solar has to fit the way India works
Building software for India means understanding how Indian businesses operate.
One platform came up throughout the week: WhatsApp. “It’s the go-to platform. Every family has their own WhatsApp group,” says Head of Pro Experience India, Jaideep.
Rohit added with a smile: “Even people buying vegetables are using WhatsApp now.”
When customer conversations already happen there, solar software should work alongside it. That’s why WhatsApp integration is one of the biggest priorities for OpenSolar’s roadmap in India.
Every roof is different
No two regions in India build rooftops the same way. Flat RCC rooftops, elevated structures and pitched roofs all bring different design considerations, making locally tailored solar design software essential for installers.
“We’ve already built elevated structures, which are one of the most common mounting solutions used on Indian rooftops for solar installations,” explains Apoorva, Product Manager India. “Now we’re continuing to localise the platform, from proposal formats to workflows, so it feels built for India.”
As OpenSolar continues investing in India, localisation will remain a key focus, from design capabilities and proposal formats to improved imagery and workflows that reflect how Indian installers work every day.
Localisation is fundamental to serving a market of this scale.
Awareness will unlock the next million rooftops
Technology and finance are only part of the story. Many homeowners are still discovering how rooftop solar works, what it costs and how much they can save.
“I think there’s a real need for educational content,” says Shaifali. “We need to bust myths around solar and help both homeowners and installers understand what’s possible. There’s a huge opportunity to support the whole ecosystem.”
Every informed homeowner becomes another conversation, another installation and another advocate for solar.
India’s solar story is being built by its community
For Rohit, the industry’s greatest strength lies in the people driving it forward.
“Solar is all about community building,” he says. “The people in this industry are passionate. They care about climate change, sustainability and making a real difference. When communities come together, that’s when real change happens.”
India’s first one crore rooftop solar installations will be a remarkable milestone. But they won’t be the finish line. It will mark the moment when rooftop solar moves from early adoption to everyday life, creating opportunities for installers, partners and millions more homeowners for years to come.
At OpenSolar, we’re excited to help build that future alongside the solar professionals already making it happen.
