A new study reveals that rooftop solar is poised to become the single largest employment engine within India's burgeoning clean energy sector. By 2030, this segment is expected to generate 43% of the projected 4.4 million full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across the country's non-fossil fuel capacity initiatives.
Decentralized Nature Drives Job Creation
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) India conducted the study, highlighting that rooftop solar's decentralized nature is key to its job-generating prowess. Unlike large-scale solar or wind farms built at single sites, rooftop solar requires installation on a house-by-house, shop-by-shop, and building-by-building basis. This process demands a significantly larger workforce for customer outreach, site surveys, system design, installation, grid connection, and ongoing maintenance.
Between fiscal years 2023 and 2026, rooftop solar already accounted for a dominant 62% of the 650,000 clean energy workers added. This far outpaced other sectors like PM-KUSUM (16.3%), biomass power (12.6%), and ground-mounted solar (6%) in terms of workforce expansion.
Significant Job Intensity Compared to Other Technologies
The research further indicates that rooftop solar systems are substantially more job-intensive than utility-scale alternatives. The study estimates that rooftop solar creates approximately 45 FTE job-years per megawatt (MW), a stark contrast to ground-mounted solar's 1 FTE job-year/MW and wind power's 0.6 FTE job-year/MW. This means decentralized clean energy systems offer significantly higher employment opportunities per unit of installed capacity.
Women's Participation in the Green Workforce
While women currently constitute only 11% of the total workforce in India's solar and wind deployment and manufacturing sectors, their participation is highest in rooftop solar, reaching 15%. This is followed by solar module manufacturing (13%), floating solar (12%), and ground-mounted solar (11%). The study also notes that a significant 61% of women in the clean energy workforce are employed in non-technological roles such as human resources, accounting, and administration.
India has rapidly advanced its renewable energy goals, now ranking third globally in installed renewable capacity. The nation achieved its target of meeting 50% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil sources in 2025, five years ahead of its original schedule.