India installed six point six gigawatt (GW) of rooftop solar capacity in the first half of calendar year 2026, up 136 per cent from two point eight GW in the same period of 2025, Mercom India reported. The second quarter added three point eight GW, a 41 per cent quarter on quarter rise, and was 136 per cent higher year on year from one point six GW in Q2 2025.

Rooftop systems accounted for 33 per cent of the country’s solar installations during the quarter, with residential installations dominating the market and contributing 84 per cent of total additions. Industrial installations made up 10 per cent, commercial installations accounted for five per cent and government projects represented one per cent. Installations under the capex model comprised the majority of quarterly additions in Q2 2026.

Mercom said the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar programme drove growth, reaching nearly four point five million (mn) households by June 2026, about 45 per cent of the ten million (mn) goal. The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List II, effective one June 2026, increased pressure on domestic cell availability and domestic content requirement module prices, although transition measures eased some near term strain. Eligible net metering and open access projects received a transition window to 31 December 2026 and some residential consumers could forgo the subsidy and use non DCR modules until March 2027.

Raj Prabhu, chief executive of Mercom Capital Group, said India had a strong residential rooftop pipeline but converting it into installations would require faster approvals, better financing and quicker delivery. He added that higher grid tariffs should bolster commercial demand while rising system costs and regulatory constraints could limit industrial growth, and that the ALMM transition window could aid projects but might prompt a rush, increase price volatility and leave future growth dependent on rapid domestic cell capacity ramping and states removing approval, metering and connectivity bottlenecks.