Varanasi rooftop solar: 20,000 homes pay under Rs 500 monthly power bill under PM Surya Ghar scheme

Varanasi has installed rooftop solar on over 44,000 homes, totaling more than 153 MW of capacity under India's Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme. According to district officials, 20,758 households received a net electricity bill of Rs 500 or less in May 2026. Of these, 8,109 homes had a negative bill, meaning they exported surplus solar power to the grid and earned credit. The daily clean electricity generation from these installations is estimated at 7.66 lakh units, worth over Rs 53.62 lakh per day. The scheme is also delivering measurable carbon reductions. Officials estimate the current installed capacity avoids roughly 2.3 lakh metric tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to the carbon absorption of a large forest area. The program has attracted 71,513 total applicants so far, suggesting further deployment is underway. Varanasi now ranks among the leading solar districts in Uttar Pradesh, demonstrating how targeted rooftop solar policy can lower household energy costs while contributing to grid decarbonization.