Rooftop by rooftop, Kashi goes solar: Varanasi ranks among India's top 10

Varanasi is quietly building a cleaner, more self-reliant energy future — one rooftop at a time. The city has risen into the top 10 districts in the country for rooftop solar installations, a milestone powered largely by the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the national scheme that helps households put solar panels on their own roofs. The figures behind the ranking are encouraging. Recent data credits the city with roughly 39,000 rooftop solar systems, together generating well over six lakh units of electricity every day. That adds up to substantial savings — estimated at around ₹144 crore a year across households — and a meaningful cut in carbon emissions, on the order of more than 1.5 lakh tonnes annually. Within Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi sits near the very top of the table, second only to Lucknow. Beyond the numbers, the shift shows up in everyday life: lower electricity bills, more dependable daytime power, and a real sense of families taking part in Kashi's move toward clean energy. It is a reminder that alongside the ghats, temples and headline projects, some of the city's most hopeful progress is happening on ordinary rooftops — and that residents curious about going solar now have a well-marked path to follow.

Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Indian PSU