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Solar Panel Cost Calculator India — With PM Surya Ghar Subsidy

Calculate the right solar system size, PM Surya Ghar subsidy, net installation cost, annual savings, and payback period for your home.

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2026 national range

₹50,000–₹3,25,000/ installed (1–5 kW)

On-grid rooftop system installed by size, before subsidy. Each band runs from MNRE's published PM-Surya Ghar benchmark cost for that size — ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 per kW above it, which is the basis the central subsidy is computed against and NOT a market price or an observed minimum — up to UPNEDA's published installed cost of ₹65,000 per kW, which is a state nodal agency stating what installation actually costs. So the low end and the high end are two different kinds of figure, deliberately: both are government-published and dated, and the gap between them is why the subsidy covers less of a real bill than the benchmark rate suggests. Nobody is quoted the low end in the market.

1 kW₹50,000–₹65,000
3 kW (typical home)₹1,45,000–₹1,95,000
5 kW₹2,35,000–₹3,25,000

Educational calculators — always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Your home

01Monthly electricity use

Units (kWh) consumed, printed on your DISCOM bill. Use a typical month — it sets the system size in kW.

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502000

Sized at 2.5 kW · 7 panels of 400 W

02Shade-free roof area

Count only open terrace that gets sun most of the day — leave out the water tank, stair room and parapet shadow.

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1005000

2.5 kW needs 269 sq ft · your roof carries about 5.5 kW

03System type

Only on-grid draws the PM Surya Ghar central subsidy, applied through your DISCOM and capped at ₹78,000 from 3 kW. Off-grid and hybrid add batteries and draw none.

Connected to grid — sell surplus, eligible for subsidy.

Net system cost (after subsidy)

₹81,000 – ₹93,500

PM Surya Ghar subsidy: ₹69,000 deducted

Cost before subsidy₹1.5 L – ₹1.63 L

Annual savings₹21,900 – ₹32,850

Payback period2.5–4.3 years

Shade-free roof needed210 – 269 sqft

PM Surya Ghar subsidy: ₹69,000 — Apply at pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Subsidy is credited directly to your bank account after installation verification.

Notes

•System type: On-Grid (grid-tied, net metering)
•Recommended size: 2.5 kW — generates ~3650 units/year
•Roof area needed: 210–269 sqft of shade-free roof — allow 269 sqft, which is UPNEDA's published 10 sq m per kW
•PM Surya Ghar subsidy: ₹69,000 (apply via pmsuryaghar.gov.in)
•Solar panels last 25 years; inverters typically need replacement at 10–12 years
•Net metering (export surplus to grid) is available in most Indian states for on-grid systems

Estimate based on 5 peak sun hours/day average across India. Actual generation depends on location, panel orientation, and shading. Get proposals from at least 3 MNRE-empanelled vendors.

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What you'll need

·Monthly electricity consumption (units from your bill)
·Available roof area (sq ft, shadow-free)
·Preferred system type — on-grid / off-grid / hybrid

Working out the subsidy rather than the system?

This page prices the whole installation from your electricity consumption — system size, panel count, roof area and the payback on the full bill. It applies the PM Surya Ghar central subsidy to that total, but it does not break the scheme down. The PM Surya Ghar subsidy calculator does the opposite: it takes the scheme itself as the subject — the per-kW slabs, the ceiling that is reached at exactly 3 kW, the higher rate in the special category States and UTs, and the state top-up on top — each read to the MNRE scheme guidelines or the state’s own nodal agency. Start here if you know your monthly units; start there if you already know what size you want and are asking what the government will pay.

How it works

Enter monthly electricity usage

Your monthly units (kWh) from your electricity bill. This determines the right system size.

Enter available roof area

Shadow-free flat roof area in sq ft. This may limit how big a system you can install.

Get cost and savings estimate

See recommended system size, PM Surya Ghar subsidy, net cost, annual savings, and payback period.

Solar System Cost & Savings — On-Grid, Residential (2025–26)

System Size	Cost Before Subsidy	Subsidy	Net Cost	Annual Savings	Shade-free roof
1 kW	₹60,000 – ₹65,000	₹30,000	₹30,000 – ₹35,000	₹8,760 – ₹13,140	90 – 108 sq ft
2 kW	₹1.2 L – ₹1.3 L	₹60,000	₹60,000 – ₹70,000	₹17,520 – ₹26,280	150 – 215 sq ft
3 kW	₹1.8 L – ₹1.95 L	₹78,000	₹1.02 L – ₹1.17 L	₹26,280 – ₹39,420	240 – 323 sq ft
5 kW	₹3 L – ₹3.25 L	₹78,000 (capped)	₹2.22 L – ₹2.47 L	₹43,800 – ₹65,700	390 – 538 sq ft

Savings assume ₹6–₹9 per unit and 4 units per kW per day, which is the low end of UPNEDA's published range of 4 to 5 — so the savings shown are the cautious end, not the flattering one. The installed band of ₹60,000 to ₹65,000 per kW is UPNEDA's published installation cost range — a state nodal agency stating what installation costs, in its PM Surya Ghar booklet at upneda.org.in, checked 2026-09-14 — and is a Uttar Pradesh figure applied here for want of a national one. MNRE's benchmark cost is a different and lower number, ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 for the additional kW (MNRE PM-Surya Ghar guidelines §(g), cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in, checked 2026-09-16): it is the basis the subsidy is computed against, not a market price. Budget the upper roof figure — 108 sq ft per kW is UPNEDA's published requirement and the lower end of the roof column is a best-case panel layout. The subsidy is on-grid residential only, applied through your DISCOM; battery and off-grid systems draw none.

Where these figures come from

The on-grid band is UPNEDA's own published installed-cost range of ₹60,000 to ₹65,000 per kW — a state nodal agency describing what installation costs, checked 2026-09-14. It replaces the two commercial solar vendor blogs this page's per-kW figures previously rested on, which have been withdrawn rather than relabelled. MNRE's benchmark cost is a different and lower number, ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 for the additional kW: that is the basis the central subsidy is computed against, not a market price, which is why the subsidy covers less of a real bill than the headline rate suggests. MNRE publishes no benchmark above 3 kW at all. The off-grid band is MNRE's own FY2021-22 benchmark for standalone battery-backed plants and carries four qualifiers — it is a benchmark, it is five years old, it covers standalone plants rather than rooftop specifically, and its spread is hours of battery back-up rather than installer variation. The hybrid band is the only one with no admissible Indian source and is labelled as this site's own estimate. Consumer prices are set by each DISCOM's discovered L1 rate under MNRE's framework, so get written proposals from at least three MNRE-empanelled vendors.

On-Grid (grid-tied, net metering) — ₹60,000–₹65,000 per kW: Installed cost per kW — panels, inverter, mounting structure, wiring, balance of system and installation. This is what a state nodal agency says installation costs, not a subsidy basis. Source: Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), “PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana — Information Booklet”, §1 Brief about PM Surya Ghar, salient features: “Installation costs range from Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 per kilowatt, with a 25-year lifespan ensuring free electricity thereafter.” Read at upneda.org.in/MediaGallery/Documents/MuftBijliYojanBooklet.pdf, checked 2026-09-14.
·UPNEDA is the Uttar Pradesh nodal agency, so this is a UP figure rather than a national one. No national installed-cost range is published by MNRE or by any body reached on 2026-09-14.
·UPNEDA states it flat per kW and does not band it by system size, so it is applied at every size here rather than split into per-size figures the source does not give.
·MNRE's benchmark cost for the same system is lower — ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 for the additional kW — because a benchmark is the basis the subsidy is computed against and is set at or below what installers charge. The subsidy therefore covers less of an actual bill than the benchmark implies.
·MNRE's framework leaves the consumer price to each DISCOM's own discovered L1 rate, so a quote in your state can sit outside this range in either direction. Get written proposals from at least three MNRE-empanelled vendors.
Off-Grid (with battery backup) — ₹62,000–₹94,000 per kW: MNRE benchmark cost for a standalone battery-backed solar plant, by hours of back-up — a subsidy basis for MNRE's own off-grid schemes, not a market price. PM Surya Ghar pays no CFA on an off-grid system. Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Order No. 32/24/2020-SPV Division, 18 August 2021, “Benchmark costs for Off-grid and Decentralized Solar PV Systems for the year 2021-22”, §(iv) Standalone Solar Power Plants/Packs: up to 10 kW at ₹62 per Wp with 1 hour of battery back-up, ₹74 per Wp with 3 hours and ₹94 per Wp with 6 hours (general category States and UTs; NER, hill and island UTs ₹68 / ₹81 / ₹103). “All the above benchmark costs are inclusive of total cost of system as per MNRE specifications and its installation, commissioning, transportation, insurance, warranty/guarantee, monitoring, maintenance for 5 years and applicable taxes.” Read at cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3716e1b8c6cd17b771da77391355749f3/uploads/2022/12/2022122159.pdf, checked 2026-09-14.
·It is a BENCHMARK — a basis for MNRE's own scheme assistance — and not what an installer quotes.
·It is dated: the Order is for FY2021-22, issued 18 August 2021, and no newer MNRE off-grid benchmark exists. The benchmark index's most recent off-grid document is this one.
·It covers standalone solar power plants and packs, not residential rooftop specifically, so the scope is adjacent rather than exact.
·The spread is hours of battery back-up, not installer variation: ₹62,000 per kW buys one hour of storage and ₹94,000 buys six. A later amendment of 26 October 2021 restates the same table excluding GST at ₹56, ₹68 and ₹86 per Wp.
Hybrid (grid + battery) — ₹80,000–₹1,20,000 per kW: Grid-tied with battery backup. This site's own estimate. PM Surya Ghar pays CFA on the installed module DC capacity, but publishes no cost for the storage half. UNSOURCED, and this is a flat NO-GO rather than a gap nobody looked at. No admissible Indian source — MNRE, NHB, a state nodal agency or an Indian industry body — publishes an installed cost for a hybrid or battery-backed RESIDENTIAL ROOFTOP system. The PM Surya Ghar guidelines mention battery storage and “battery hybrid systems” twice and attach no cost figure to either, stating only that the subsidy is computed on installed module DC capacity regardless of what else is fitted. MNRE's standalone off-grid benchmark is the nearest published figure and is NOT used here, because a standalone plant is not a rooftop hybrid and substituting one for the other would be an invented citation. This band is this site's own estimate and is labelled as such rather than left silently bare.
·Battery replacement is the cost this band understates most: an off-grid or hybrid battery bank typically needs replacing at 5 to 7 years against the panels' 25-year life.

Withdrawn on 2026-09-14: the per-kW figures on this page previously rested on two commercial solar suppliers’ own published price pages — MyR Solar (myrsolar.com), retrieved 2026-07-13 and Earthwave (earthwavetech.in), retrieved 2026-07-13. Both are Indian, but a commercial vendor’s own price page is not the kind of source this site cites for a cost figure, so neither is relied on for anything here any more. They are named rather than quietly dropped.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the cost of solar panel installation per kW in India?

Solar panel installation cost in India (2026), all-inclusive — panels, inverter, mounting structure, wiring, balance of system and installation: On-Grid (grid-tied, net metering) ₹60,000–₹65,000 per kW; Off-Grid (with battery backup) ₹62,000–₹94,000 per kW; Hybrid (grid + battery) ₹80,000–₹1,20,000 per kW. Where these come from, because the three rows are not sourced equally and it would be misleading to present them as if they were. On-grid: The installed band of ₹60,000 to ₹65,000 per kW is UPNEDA's published installation cost range — a state nodal agency stating what installation costs, in its PM Surya Ghar booklet at upneda.org.in, checked 2026-09-14 — and is a Uttar Pradesh figure applied here for want of a national one. MNRE's benchmark cost is a different and lower number, ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 for the additional kW (MNRE PM-Surya Ghar guidelines §(g), cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in, checked 2026-09-16): it is the basis the subsidy is computed against, not a market price. MNRE's benchmark is tiered, so it is ₹1,00,000 for a 2 kW system and ₹1,45,000 for 3 kW. Off-grid: MNRE's own benchmark for standalone battery-backed plants, Order No. 32/24/2020-SPV of 18 August 2021 at cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in, checked 2026-09-14 — a benchmark rather than an installer's quote, dated FY2021-22, for standalone plants rather than rooftop specifically, and its spread is hours of battery back-up. Hybrid: this site's own estimate, because no admissible Indian source publishes an installed cost for a hybrid residential rooftop system. Get written proposals from at least three MNRE-empanelled vendors rather than budgeting from a band.

What is PM Surya Ghar subsidy and how much can I get?

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana assists residential on-grid rooftop solar only. The central financial assistance is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW of capacity or part thereof and ₹18,000 for the third kW, so the ceiling is ₹78,000 and it is reached at exactly 3 kW — a 4 kW or 6 kW system draws the same ₹78,000 as a 3 kW one, not more. Worked through: 1 kW draws ₹30,000, 2 kW ₹60,000, 2.5 kW ₹69,000 because the two slabs apply in sequence rather than as a blended rate, and 3 kW upward ₹78,000. In the special category States and UTs the whole schedule is 10% higher, ceiling ₹85,800. Off-grid and battery-only systems draw nothing. Apply at pmsuryaghar.gov.in through your DISCOM; the assistance is credited to your bank account after the DISCOM verifies the installation. Source: Guidelines for PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana — Central Financial Assistance to Residential Consumers, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. Scheme approved 29 February 2024; CFA effective 13 February 2024. Pages 5–8, §(e) CFA Structure, §(g) Benchmark Cost, §(h) Effective CFA and §(n) Pre-existing RTS. Read at cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3716e1b8c6cd17b771da77391355749f3/uploads/2024/07/202407021768035484.pdf, checked 2026-09-16. The full slab breakdown, the special category rates and the one state top-up read to a state source are on the PM Surya Ghar subsidy calculator.

How much roof area is needed for solar panels?

Budget 108 sq ft of shade-free roof per kW, so about 323 sq ft for a 3 kW system and 538 sq ft for 5 kW. That is UPNEDA's published requirement — Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), “PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana — Information Booklet”: “Approx. 10 sq. m. of shade-free roof space is needed for installing a 1 kW solar plant.” 10 sq m is about 107.6 sq ft — the figure whose unit was dropped in the table this page shipped with (B-260). Read at upneda.org.in/MediaGallery/Documents/MuftBijliYojanBooklet.pdf, checked 2026-09-14. Counting panels gives a lower figure: a 400 W panel occupies about 30 sq ft installed, so 3 kW is 8 panels and 240 sq ft of panel area. Both numbers are real and this site publishes the range 240–323 sq ft for 3 kW, but plan against the upper one: the panel figure is a best-case layout with no allowance for walkways, parapet setback, tank shadow or inverter access, and a household that clears only the panel area often finds the system does not fit. A south-facing slope improves generation. Avoid shading from water tanks, parapet walls and neighbouring structures — even partial shading on one panel pulls down a whole string.

What is the payback period for rooftop solar in India?

On this site's own assumptions the payback after the PM Surya Ghar subsidy is: 1 kW, ₹30,000–₹35,000 net against ₹8,760–₹13,140 a year, pays back in 2.3–4.0 years; 2 kW, ₹60,000–₹70,000 net against ₹17,520–₹26,280 a year, pays back in 2.3–4.0 years; 3 kW, ₹1.02 L–₹1.17 L net against ₹26,280–₹39,420 a year, pays back in 2.6–4.5 years; 5 kW, ₹2.22 L–₹2.47 L net against ₹43,800–₹65,700 a year, pays back in 3.4–5.6 years. Those assumptions are ₹6–₹9 per unit and 4 units per kW per day, the low end of UPNEDA's published 4 to 5, so the range is the cautious one. Payback is slower above 3 kW because the subsidy stops growing there while the installed cost does not. Panels are typically warranted for 25 years at 80% of rated output and inverters usually need replacing at 10 to 12 years, which is a cost this payback figure does not include. Your own figure moves with your DISCOM's tariff slab, your shading, and your state's net-metering terms — this page does not model any state's net-metering policy and does not claim one state pays back faster than another.

Methodology & sources

The cost figures on this page are generated from a single, sourced cost-data file (On-grid rooftop system installed by size, before subsidy. Each band runs from MNRE's published PM-Surya Ghar benchmark cost for that size — ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 per kW above it, which is the basis the central subsidy is computed against and NOT a market price or an observed minimum — up to UPNEDA's published installed cost of ₹65,000 per kW, which is a state nodal agency stating what installation actually costs. So the low end and the high end are two different kinds of figure, deliberately: both are government-published and dated, and the gap between them is why the subsidy covers less of a real bill than the benchmark rate suggests. Nobody is quoted the low end in the market.). PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana pays ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW or part thereof and ₹18,000 for the third kW, so the ceiling is ₹78,000 and it is reached at exactly 3 kW — a 4 kW or 6 kW system draws the same ₹78,000, not more. A 3 kW system therefore nets ₹67,000–₹1,17,000 after subsidy on the bands below. Off-grid and battery-only systems draw nothing. Source: MNRE scheme guidelines and UPNEDA's PM Surya Ghar booklet, both checked 2026-09-14. Last verified September 2026.

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