J&K must not miss the solar bus

The useful part

While India's solar power capacity has surged past 164 GW, Jammu and Kashmir had installed only around 80 MW by early 2026 — leaving the Union Territory at risk of missing another major energy opportunity. The contrast is stark: a region once criticised for failing to harness its vast hydropower potential is now moving slowly on solar, even though rooftop assessments have indicated a potential of around 10,000 MW. Its decisive solar push began in January 2010 with the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, initially targeting 20 GW by 2022.

How it works

• By July 2026, installed solar capacity had crossed 164 GW, including more than 30 GW of grid-connected rooftop solar.
• The region's geography limits the availability of large, contiguous tracts of land for utility-scale solar projects.
• The government has pointed out that a 100-MW solar project may require roughly 500 acres of contiguous land — a difficult proposition in a mountainous territory where forests, agriculture and settlements...
• It also offers a form of electricity generation that can be distributed across the territory, allowing power to be produced close to where it is consumed.

What to take from it

The question is no longer whether J&K needs more electricity.

Example or evidence

• The question is whether it will continue to depend heavily on purchased power and commit further to large infrastructure in its fragile Himalayan landscape, or diversify its energy mix by making greater use...

Details worth keeping

For J&K, the timing makes the choice particularly important. Rooftop solar largely bypasses that constraint.