Solar savings & payback by Indian state

This table compares 14 major Indian states side by side — annual savings, payback period, and 10- and 25-year net savings. Click any column header to re-sort; default order is alphabetical by state (A–Z).

Fastest payback

Payback is how long until your savings cover the upfront cost. After that, every rupee saved is money in your pocket. States with strong sunshine, high retail electricity tariffs, and favourable export compensation in our model break even fastest — big annual savings against a manageable system price means a short payback.

For solar panels alone, the fastest payback states are Delhi (8.3 yrs), Gujarat (8.6 yrs) and Maharashtra (8.9 yrs).

With a home battery, the fastest payback states are Maharashtra (11.4 yrs), Kerala (12.6 yrs) and Delhi (13.1 yrs).

Biggest 25-year savings

Payback is just the starting line. The real value is the decades of savings that follow — and the rankings can look quite different.

For solar alone, the highest 25-year net savings are in Delhi (₹686221), Gujarat (₹650110) and Maharashtra (₹617868) — mostly a mix of high DISCOM retail tariffs, export compensation, and sun in our model. Every kWh you avoid buying from the grid saves more, and surplus power earns more when export credits are higher; sunny states also produce more kWh to sell or self-use.

With a battery, the highest 25-year net savings are in Maharashtra (₹359465), Kerala (₹213402) and Delhi (₹158590) — where rankings lean more on expensive grid tariffs and how much solar each state generates. Stored solar is valued at full grid price in our model, so high retail rates plus strong annual output tend to win; export compensation matters less because less surplus goes straight to the grid.

Use the toggle below to switch between solar-only and solar + battery scenarios. All figures are in Indian rupees (INR). Click any state name for local detail, or see how export values work for the story behind the numbers. You can also compare solar savings by country or solar savings by US state.

Scenario

Based on: 12 kWh/day usage · 5 kW solar · 0 kWh battery · Mid range quality tier · DISCOM retail & export rates

State	Price estimate (INR)	Sun kWh/kW/d	Retail grid (INR)	Export (FiT) (INR) Battery rate (INR)	Buy − sell (INR)	Annual savings (INR)	Payback (yrs)	10-yr net savings (INR)	25-yr net savings (INR)
Andhra Pradesh	373258 INR $4531	4.56	7.00 INR $0.08	3.00 INR $0.04	4.00 INR $0.04	33726 INR $409	11.1	−43486 INR −$528	421190 INR $5113
Delhi	373258 INR $4531	4.41	8.50 INR $0.10	4.50 INR $0.05	4.00 INR $0.05	44977 INR $546	8.3	66527 INR $808	686221 INR $8330
Gujarat	373258 INR $4531	4.49	7.50 INR $0.09	4.50 INR $0.05	3.00 INR $0.04	43444 INR $527	8.6	51538 INR $626	650110 INR $7892
Haryana	373258 INR $4531	4.37	7.50 INR $0.09	4.00 INR $0.05	3.50 INR $0.04	39566 INR $480	9.4	13617 INR $165	558757 INR $6783
Karnataka	373258 INR $4531	4.58	7.00 INR $0.08	4.00 INR $0.05	3.00 INR $0.03	40004 INR $486	9.3	17900 INR $217	569074 INR $6908
Kerala	373258 INR $4531	4.61	8.50 INR $0.10	3.50 INR $0.04	5.00 INR $0.06	40396 INR $490	9.2	21737 INR $264	578317 INR $7021
Madhya Pradesh	373258 INR $4531	4.49	6.50 INR $0.08	3.00 INR $0.04	3.50 INR $0.04	32248 INR $391	11.6	−57940 INR −$703	386369 INR $4690
Maharashtra	373258 INR $4531	4.53	9.50 INR $0.12	3.50 INR $0.04	6.00 INR $0.08	42075 INR $511	8.9	38154 INR $463	617868 INR $7501
Punjab	373258 INR $4531	4.37	7.00 INR $0.08	4.00 INR $0.05	3.00 INR $0.03	38471 INR $467	9.7	2911 INR $35	532963 INR $6470
Rajasthan	373258 INR $4531	4.44	6.50 INR $0.08	3.50 INR $0.04	3.00 INR $0.04	34931 INR $424	10.7	−31708 INR −$385	449563 INR $5458
Tamil Nadu	373258 INR $4531	4.58	8.00 INR $0.10	3.00 INR $0.04	5.00 INR $0.06	36026 INR $437	10.4	−21001 INR −$255	475357 INR $5771
Telangana	373258 INR $4531	4.55	7.50 INR $0.09	3.50 INR $0.04	4.00 INR $0.05	37823 INR $459	9.9	−3424 INR −$42	517702 INR $6285
Uttar Pradesh	373258 INR $4531	4.44	7.00 INR $0.08	3.00 INR $0.04	4.00 INR $0.04	33069 INR $401	11.3	−49910 INR −$606	405714 INR $4925
West Bengal	373258 INR $4531	4.49	6.50 INR $0.08	3.00 INR $0.04	3.50 INR $0.04	32248 INR $391	11.6	−57940 INR −$703	386369 INR $4690
Andhra Pradesh	804837 INR $9770	4.56	7.00 INR $0.08	5.25 INR $0.06	1.75 INR $0.02	52122 INR $633	15.4	−314054 INR −$3812	−53733 INR −$652
Delhi	804837 INR $9770	4.41	8.50 INR $0.10	6.38 INR $0.08	2.12 INR $0.02	61546 INR $747	13.1	−225950 INR −$2743	158590 INR $1925
Gujarat	804837 INR $9770	4.49	7.50 INR $0.09	5.62 INR $0.07	1.88 INR $0.02	55126 INR $669	14.6	−286024 INR −$3472	13817 INR $168
Haryana	804837 INR $9770	4.37	7.50 INR $0.09	5.62 INR $0.07	1.88 INR $0.02	53895 INR $654	14.9	−298069 INR −$3618	−15201 INR −$185
Karnataka	804837 INR $9770	4.58	7.00 INR $0.08	5.25 INR $0.06	1.75 INR $0.02	52314 INR $635	15.4	−312180 INR −$3790	−49219 INR −$598
Kerala	804837 INR $9770	4.61	8.50 INR $0.10	6.38 INR $0.08	2.12 INR $0.02	63873 INR $775	12.6	−203198 INR −$2467	213402 INR $2591
Madhya Pradesh	804837 INR $9770	4.49	6.50 INR $0.08	4.88 INR $0.06	1.62 INR $0.02	47776 INR $580	16.9	−355199 INR −$4312	−152881 INR −$1856
Maharashtra	804837 INR $9770	4.53	9.50 INR $0.12	7.12 INR $0.09	2.38 INR $0.03	70347 INR $854	11.4	−142588 INR −$1731	359465 INR $4364
Punjab	804837 INR $9770	4.37	7.00 INR $0.08	5.25 INR $0.06	1.75 INR $0.02	50302 INR $611	16.0	−331854 INR −$4029	−96615 INR −$1173
Rajasthan	804837 INR $9770	4.44	6.50 INR $0.08	4.88 INR $0.06	1.62 INR $0.02	47331 INR $575	17.0	−359549 INR −$4365	−163359 INR −$1983
Tamil Nadu	804837 INR $9770	4.58	8.00 INR $0.10	6.00 INR $0.07	2.00 INR $0.03	59787 INR $726	13.5	−241800 INR −$2935	120381 INR $1461
Telangana	804837 INR $9770	4.55	7.50 INR $0.09	5.62 INR $0.07	1.88 INR $0.02	55742 INR $677	14.4	−280002 INR −$3399	28326 INR $344
Uttar Pradesh	804837 INR $9770	4.44	7.00 INR $0.08	5.25 INR $0.06	1.75 INR $0.02	50972 INR $619	15.8	−325296 INR −$3949	−80816 INR −$981
West Bengal	804837 INR $9770	4.49	6.50 INR $0.08	4.88 INR $0.06	1.62 INR $0.02	47776 INR $580	16.9	−355199 INR −$4312	−152881 INR −$1856

Cumulative savings over 25 years

Scenario

Year 0 is the upfront system cost (after rebates), shown as a negative number. Each later year adds bill savings with the same 0.5% / year panel and 3% / year battery degradation as the table. For solar + battery, a dip at year 13 is one battery replacement. By default the chart shows the three highest and three lowest 25-year outcomes among states, plus the India average. Use Show all lines for every state.

The table and chart above follow whichever option you pick in the Scenario toggle (solar only vs solar + battery).

How we calculated these numbers

Every row uses the same reference home so you can compare states fairly: 5 kW solar, 12 kWh per day usage, and mid-range equipment. Solar only uses no battery; solar + battery adds an 8 kWh home battery. We assume 50% self-consumption from solar. Surplus is exported at each state’s illustrative new-customer export compensation; leftover battery export is valued at the higher of the state’s flat export rate and about 75% of retail grid. 10- and 25-year savings include panel degradation (~0.5%/yr) and, with a battery, one replacement at year 13. Figures are in INR and are not quotes.

Retail tariffs are blended effective averages from state DISCOM / SERC orders; export values are directional policy-based estimates (not DISCOM-specific tariffs). See also solar savings by country and solar savings by US state.

State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs)
DISCOM tariff orders (e.g. MSEDCL, BESCOM, TANGEDCO)

Questions or feedback on this data?

If DISCOM tariffs, export assumptions, or install costs in your state look off compared with what you see locally, we would like to hear from you. Share comments, corrections, or real-world numbers on our community forum — we read every reply and use feedback to improve these comparisons over time.

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