The Indian government's efforts to accelerate the deployment of solar panels on residential rooftops have been hindered despite generous financial support packages. Vendors and analysts have highlighted banks' reluctance to provide loans and the inadequate promotional efforts by utility companies as significant obstacles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration aims to double clean energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030, but ongoing financial and procedural challenges threaten to undermine these goals, with Delhi even considering scaling back new tender offers due to the accumulation of projects that have been contracted but not yet implemented.

These hurdles indicate a potential continued reliance on coal for electricity generation in India in the near term, counteracting the government's official push for renewable energy sources. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had launched a support program in February 2024 to help cover up to 40% of the costs for installing solar panels on residential buildings. However, current data reveals that only about 2.36 million systems have been installed, a figure significantly less than the government's target of 4 million installations by March of the following year.

This slow progress raises concerns about India's ability to meet its renewable energy targets and highlights the need for more effective strategies to facilitate financing and promotion of solar initiatives. The challenges facing the solar energy program are indicative of larger issues within India's transition to a more sustainable energy landscape, suggesting that without substantial changes in financing and governmental support, the aspirations for renewable energy may remain unfulfilled.