According to state government records, the rules require rooftop solar panels on residential plots of 500 square yards or more, group housing societies, and commercial buildings with a power load of over 50 kW. (File Photo/Generated using AI)
More than a decade after Haryana made rooftop solar panels mandatory for several commercial and residential buildings, the state government is now planning a fresh push to ensure they are actually installed. The drive will focus on Gurgaon and Faridabad, with buildings expected to meet the solar requirement by 2027, The Indian Express has learnt.
The move comes as many housing societies and commercial buildings in the two cities continue to depend mainly on the regular power grid and diesel generators, despite Haryana’s earlier rules promoting solar power.
According to state government records, the rules require rooftop solar panels on residential plots of 500 square yards or more, group housing societies, and commercial buildings with a power load of over 50 kW. The required solar capacity varies depending on the size of the property and its electricity use.
The progress, in terms of execution, however, has been disappointing.
A 2019 study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that Gurgaon had installed only 25 MW of rooftop solar by March 2019, against the 54.5 MW that had been approved. Industrial users accounted for 53% of the installations, followed by commercial buildings at 38%. Residential high-rises accounted for just 9%.
Officials in the state Power department said weak enforcement has been one of the main reasons for the slow progress. Although the Town and Country Planning Department made rooftop solar a requirement for getting occupation certificates under the Haryana Building Code, checks largely stopped after developers handed over the housing complexes to resident welfare associations, according to sources.
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Upfront capital costs, rooftop space constraints from lift rooms and cooling towers, and bureaucratic delays in Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) net-metering approvals further stalled uptake, discom officials acknowledged.
What fresh deadline entails
The authorities in the state now plan to back the 2027 target with statutory building code revisions and financial incentives.
In a roadmap review meeting on June 4, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini directed that “by 2028, no building in the state should remain without a solar panel installation,” instructing planning and local bodies to amend building codes and frame attractive policies for commercial and industrial consumers.
This followed a June 2 joint review by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal and Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij where officials evaluated power infrastructure under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in Gurugram and Faridabad to absorb distributed solar, alongside a statewide target of 2.2 lakh solarised households by March 2027 under the PM Surya Ghar scheme. Now, it is learnt that the move is being expedited.
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Power department officials underline that meeting the 2027 deadline could significantly stabilise the local grid and ease winter pollution in the NCR.
Notably, CSE researchers had estimated Gurgaon’s solar potential at 150 to 200 MW, capable of meeting 15 to 20% of its demand against an average load of 1,125 MW and summer peaks crossing 1,700 MW. It was pointed out that daytime solar generation directly offsets high commercial grid tariffs while curbing the city’s reliance on thousands of DG sets, which face annual curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana.
Education
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020)
- B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019)
Professional Experience
Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.
Reporting Interests
His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.
Recent Coverage (2025)
- Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025).
- Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).
- Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025).
- Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.
- Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025).
- Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).
Contact
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