Solar Calculator Karnataka 2026
Estimate your rooftop solar cost, PM Surya Ghar subsidy and savings under Karnataka DSPV net metering.
1 Your electricity
Enter your 6-digit PIN to auto-fill your district's average daily generation from NASA satellite data. You can always edit it below.
Indian residential tariffs typically run ₹6–₹9 per unit and rise every year. Check a recent bill for your exact slab rate.
2 Cost & generation
A complete on-grid setup (panels, inverter, structure, wiring, installation) runs about ₹50,000–₹60,000 per kW in 2026. Tier-1 brands (Tata, Adani, Waaree) cost a little more.
Most of India gets about 4 units (kWh) per kW per day on average; sunnier states (Rajasthan, Gujarat) can reach 4.5–5.
3 Subsidy & state top-up
Central subsidy: ₹30,000/kW up to 2 kW, +₹18,000 for the 3rd kW, capped at ₹78,000 for any system 3 kW and above (residential, up to 10 kW). As of May 2026 (per MNRE). Always confirm current rates at pmsuryaghar.gov.in before applying.
Some states add their own subsidy on top of the central one (e.g. Gujarat has offered ₹10,000/kW). Enter your state's per-kW top-up if any — leave 0 if unsure. Verify with your DISCOM.
4 How you'll pay
Indicative estimates only. Subsidy rules and tariffs change by government notification and vary by state/DISCOM. Assumes a gradual annual tariff rise and panel degradation. Confirm current PM Surya Ghar rates and get installer quotes before purchasing.
How PM Surya Ghar subsidy is calculated
• Up to 2 kW:
₹30,000 per kW (1 kW = ₹30,000; 2 kW = ₹60,000)• 3rd kW:
+₹18,000 (so 3 kW = ₹78,000)• 3 kW and above: capped at
₹78,000 (no extra above 3 kW; residential eligibility up to 10 kW)Net cost =
system cost − central subsidy − state top-up. Annual savings = annual units generated × tariff (capped at your usage). Payback = net cost ÷ annual savings; the free-electricity date is today plus the payback period. Source: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy / pmsuryaghar.gov.in — verify current values before applying.
Rooftop solar in Karnataka: DSPV, net metering and DISCOM billing
Karnataka pairs high solar irradiance with one of the country's more progressive rooftop frameworks. Its Distributed Solar Photovoltaic (DSPV) policy was overhauled to add flexible metering, and the state is served by five distribution companies. Model your own case with our India solar calculator and the Karnataka defaults built into this page.
Karnataka DISCOMs and how they bill solar
Five utilities cover the state: BESCOM (Bengaluru), MESCOM (Mangaluru), HESCOM (Hubli), GESCOM (Kalaburagi) and CESC (Mysuru). For domestic rooftop systems the standard route is net metering, where a bidirectional meter nets exports against imports at your retail slab rate. The DSPV reforms also introduced Virtual Net Metering and Group Net Metering, letting housing societies or a single owner share one plant across connections, and they removed the power purchase agreement requirement for low-tension domestic consumers. Surplus beyond your consumption is typically settled at a KERC-set rate rather than the full retail tariff.
- DISCOMs: BESCOM, MESCOM, HESCOM, GESCOM, CESC
- Typical domestic tariff: roughly ₹7 to ₹8.35 per unit on mid and upper slabs
- Generation: about 4.1 to 4.2 units per kW per day
PM Surya Ghar subsidy in Karnataka
The central PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is the main incentive, with no confirmed additional Karnataka cash top-up right now. It provides ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW, a further ₹18,000 for the 3rd kW, and caps at ₹78,000 for 3 kW and larger. Residential systems up to 10 kW are eligible, the money arrives by direct benefit transfer after your DISCOM commissions the plant, and a collateral-free loan near 7 percent is on offer. Note that the state's free-units schemes can lower the bill you are offsetting, which affects payback, so run realistic numbers.
A quick Karnataka example
A 3 kW system at about 4.1 units per kW per day makes close to 12 units daily, or roughly 370 units a month. At an effective ₹8 per unit on the upper slabs that is around ₹3,200 of monthly value where solar displaces grid use, though households on heavily subsidised or free units will save less in cash terms. After the ₹78,000 subsidy, many Bengaluru installs land in a three to four year payback range. Fine-tune the array on the system size calculator, test savings on the savings calculator, plan an EMI with the solar loan EMI calculator, or add storage using the battery bank calculator.
Solar generation in Karnataka, month by month
From PVGIS 5.3 (European Commission Joint Research Centre), ERA5 solar data 2005-2023: a 1 kW grid-tied system at the best fixed angle with 14% system losses. Figures are the average of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi. The calculator above uses 4.1 units per kW per day as its default.
| Month | units per kW per day | 3 kW system, units in the month |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5.1 | 472 |
| February | 5.3 | 449 |
| March | 5.0 | 469 |
| April | 4.6 | 410 |
| May | 4.1 | 383 |
| June | 3.2 | 289 |
| July | 2.9 | 266 |
| August | 3.1 | 289 |
| September | 3.6 | 322 |
| October | 4.0 | 371 |
| November | 4.0 | 362 |
| December | 4.4 | 412 |
Solar output by city
| City | units/kW/day | units/kW/year | 3 kW, units/year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | 4.2 | 1,517 | 4,552 | 16° |
| Hubballi | 4.1 | 1,493 | 4,479 | 21° |
| Mysuru | 4.1 | 1,484 | 4,451 | 17° |
What each system size produces in Karnataka
| System | units per day | units per month | units per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 kW | 4.1 | 125 | 1,498 |
| 2 kW | 8.2 | 250 | 2,996 |
| 3 kW | 12.3 | 374 | 4,494 |
| 5 kW | 20.5 | 624 | 7,490 |
| 10 kW | 41.0 | 1,248 | 14,980 |
How Karnataka compares
Karnataka ranks #18 of 36 states and union territories for output per kW: 1,498 units a year, 0% above the middle state (1,495). The range runs from 1,150 in Sikkim to 1,939 in Ladakh — see the full state ranking.
Solar calculators for nearby states & UTs
Compare subsidy, tariff and net-metering figures with the neighbouring states, or see all 36 in the India states directory and the national India solar calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Five utilities cover the state: BESCOM for Bengaluru, MESCOM for the coastal Mangaluru zone, HESCOM in the northwest, GESCOM in the northeast, and CESC for Mysuru. You apply through the DISCOM serving your address, usually via the online SRTPV or DSPV portal.
No separate state cash subsidy is confirmed at present. Homeowners rely on the central PM Surya Ghar scheme of up to ₹78,000 for 3 kW and above. Always verify current terms with your DISCOM and the national portal before ordering.
Domestic systems generally use net metering. The DSPV reforms added Virtual Net Metering and Group Net Metering so societies or a single owner can share one plant across connections, and they scrapped the PPA requirement for low-tension domestic consumers up to the notified limit.
They can. If a large share of your consumption is already free or heavily subsidised, solar displaces fewer paid units, so the cash savings and payback stretch out. Model your actual billed units rather than gross consumption for a realistic result.
About 12 units a day or 4,494 units a year on average, from about 8.6 a day in July to 15.9 a day in February, according to PVGIS data for panels at the best fixed angle. Shading, dust and orientation change the result.
Learn more
Sources & standards
The DSPV policy, tariff and subsidy figures used for Karnataka are grounded in the following government and regulatory sources — confirm current rules with your DISCOM or KERC.
- PVGIS 5.3 — Photovoltaic Geographical Information System — European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Monthly and annual output per kW for Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi (ERA5, 2005-2023; 14% losses, optimal fixed angle). Retrieved 2026-11-09. - Ministry of New and Renewable Energy — MNRE, Government of India
National nodal ministry that sets the rooftop solar policy framework this calculator models. - PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana — Government of India
Official portal for the per-kW subsidy tiers and DBT disbursal timeline used here. - Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission — KERC
Issues the Distributed Solar Photovoltaic (DSPV) regulations covering net, virtual and group net metering across the five DISCOMs. - IS 16221 (Part 2) grid-interactive inverter standard — Bureau of Indian Standards
Defines the safety and grid-interconnection requirements Indian solar inverters must meet.