The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released guidelines for two components of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), targeting rooftop solar installations for eligible residential consumers. The program runs until March 31, 2027.
Key highlights:
Central financial assistance (CFA):
- Applicable for rooftop solar systems installed on rooftops, terraces, balconies, and building-integrated photovoltaics.
- Eligible systems must use approved metering mechanisms like group and virtual net metering if allowed by DISCOMs.
- Capacity under utility-led aggregation (ULA) proposals is capped at 3 kW.
- CFA excludes non-residential installations, existing solar-equipped households, and systems with additional technologies like batteries or trackers.
- Only domestic content requirement (DCR)-compliant systems qualify.
Payment security mechanism:
- Managed by the National Project Implementation Agency (NPIA) with a corpus of Rs 1 billion.
- Ensures automated payments for rooftop solar projects, with penalties for delays.
- State guarantees cover defaults, and RESCO vendors contribute Rs 2,000 per installation.
Implementation:
States/UTs must submit ULA proposals reviewed by MNRE’s technical committee. Approved ULAs manage project creation, consumer data, and CFA claims. Hourly generation data must integrate with the national portal. DISCOMs or state agencies inspect installations and process CFAs upon compliance.