LUCKNOW, June 3 -- Uttar Pradesh may still be trailing Gujarat and Maharashtra in cumulative rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, but it has emerged as the country's fastest-growing solar market, leading the nation in fresh installations for several months, including May. At the centre of this surge is Lucknow, which has crossed the one-lakh mark to become the highest-performing district in the country.

Official data available with the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) show Uttar Pradesh added 64,742 rooftop solar installations in May, the highest among all states and over 20% of the national monthly addition of 3.16 lakh installations.

On May 31 alone, the state record...