Gujarat’s new renewable energy policy has enabled individuals to install mini and micro wind turbines on rooftops of private premises for captive consumption and limited export to the grid, opening a new segment in decentralised clean energy generation. The Integrated Renewable Energy Policy, notified on December 25, provides a long-term framework for renewable energy development up to 2030 and positions the state as a competitive clean energy hub, with a target of over 100 GW of renewable capacity.

A senior official at Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited said the rooftop wind segment is still at a nascent stage, with only a handful of manufacturers, largely start-ups, currently active. Pilot projects have already been carried out and some rooftop installations are operational, though overall numbers remain limited. The policy is designed for the next five years, focusing on enabling systems and market readiness rather than immediate large-scale deployment.

Rooftop wind systems currently cost about Rs 0.1 million per kilowatt of installed capacity, making them more expensive than rooftop solar. However, officials said wind turbines offer higher utilisation levels. Wind systems can achieve generation levels of around 35 per cent, compared with about 18 to 20 per cent for solar panels. A hybrid rooftop setup combining wind and solar could therefore help optimise both costs and energy output.

The official added that the policy is not subsidy-driven at this stage. Instead, the emphasis is on registration, system enablement and preparing the ecosystem for long-term growth, with the state prioritising future potential over rapid near-term scale-up.

Pune-based Revayu Energy, which is working on rooftop and small-scale wind systems in Gujarat, said it has executed pilot rooftop projects in cities such as Surat and Porbandar. According to Shravan Kumar Verma, Project Execution Head at Revayu Energy, one of the installations is a wind-solar hybrid and both projects are grid-connected. He said the cost of installation, commissioning and testing for pilot projects was about Rs 0.2 million per kilowatt, but under the new policy, costs could fall to around Rs 80,000–90,000 per kilowatt.