The Last Mile of a Subsidy: Household Frictions in Rooftop Solar Adoption in
Karnataka, India: A Qualitative Study

Anusha Bagla

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.043

Title: The Last Mile of a Subsidy: Household Frictions in Rooftop Solar Adoption in Karnataka, India: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Anusha Bagla
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 8 Publication Date: August 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.043
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Anusha Bagla Greenwood High International School, Bengaluru, 560087, India
MLA 8 Bagla, Anusha. "The Last Mile of a Subsidy: Household Frictions in Rooftop Solar Adoption in Karnataka, India: A Qualitative Study." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 8, Aug. 2026, pp. 4321-4343, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.043. Accessed Aug. 2026. APA 6 Bagla, A. (2026, August). The Last Mile of a Subsidy: Household Frictions in Rooftop Solar Adoption in Karnataka, India: A Qualitative Study. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(8), 4321-4343. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.043 Chicago Bagla, Anusha. "The Last Mile of a Subsidy: Household Frictions in Rooftop Solar Adoption in Karnataka, India: A Qualitative Study." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 8 (August 2026), 4321-4343. Accessed August, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.043.
References [1] . Chaudhary, M., Purohit, S., Vijayan, M., Tyagi, B., 2026, What Drives Rooftop Solar Installation Decisions in Indian Homes? Understanding Household Decision-making Through a Pan-India Survey, New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Available at: https://www.ceew.in/publications/what-shapes-rooftop-solar-decisions-in-indian-households (Accessed on 22 August 2026). [2] . Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, 2024, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana — National Portal for Rooftop Solar. Available at: https://pmsuryaghar.gov.in (Accessed on 22 August 2026). [3] . Mathew, T.C., Pandian, S.N., 2024, Unveiling the shadows: a qualitative exploration of barriers to rooftop solar photovoltaic adoption in residential sectors, Clean Energy, 8(5), 218–228. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ce/zkae065 [4] . Energetica India, 2025, Karnataka overhauls rooftop solar policy with DSPV reforms and flexible net metering. Available at: https://www.energetica-india.net/news/karnataka-overhauls-rooftop-solar-policy-with-dspv-reforms-and-flexible-net-metering (Accessed on 22 August 2026). [5] . Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), Distributed Solar Photovoltaic (SRTPV/DSPV) Portal. Available at: https://srtpv.bescom.org/SRTPV/ (Accessed on 22 August 2026). [6] . Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. Advisory regarding consideration of sanctioned load and allowed inverter AC capacity for rooftop solar systems under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. March 2026. Available at: https://energetica-india.net/news/mnre-advises-discoms-to-allow-10-percent-dc-capacity-tolerance-for-rooftop-solar-net-metering (Energetica India, 29 July 2026; accessed on 22 August 2026). [7] . Government of Karnataka, 2022, Karnataka Renewable Energy Policy 2022–2027, Energy Department, Government of Karnataka.
ABSTRACT: Despite one of India’s most progressive distributed solar policy environments and the substantial capital subsidies available under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGY), residential rooftop solar adoption in Karnataka remains well below its technical potential. This study examines why adoption stalls between policy and people by analysing the “household friction” that willing consumers encounter across the adoption journey. Using a qualitative exploratory design, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were administered to 70 households in Karnataka, predominantly in the Bengaluru metropolitan region, comprising 24 adopters and 46 non-adopters, between June and July 2026. Responses were examined through thematic analysis and triangulated with national evidence, principally the CEEW pan-India survey of 17,094 households and a qualitative study of Kerala households. Findings reveal that anticipated complexity substantially exceeds experienced complexity: adopters rated expected complexity at a mean of 5.1 out of 10 before installation but actual complexity at only 2.2 after installation, a 57 per cent reduction. Space and roof-ownership constraints ranked as the leading barrier among non-adopters, followed by information gaps and upfront cost. Environmental concern ranked as the leading motivation among adopters, and 45.8 per cent of adopters reported they would have adopted even without the subsidy, while others described a “subsidy paradox” in which panel restrictions, vendor empanelment, and paperwork diluted the subsidy’s value. The paper proposes testable policy interventions to reduce procedural, informational, structural, and perception-related friction in the last mile of subsidy delivery.

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