In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R.K. Singh gave an update of the government’s phase II of rooftop solar programme. He informed that under this phase, central financial assistance is being extended to support the installation of rooftop solar systems in the residential sector. The programme aims to deploy 4 GW of rooftop solar capacity in residential areas and has been extended till March 31, 2026. The MNRE has assigned 3.57 GW capacity to different implementing agencies, out of the 4 GW capacity target. However, in terms of the allocated capacity, a combined total of 2.65 GW has been deployed in the residential sector till now.
The distribution companies (discoms) have been assigned the role of implementing agencies for rooftop solar scheme phase-II. There have been apprehensions about revenue loss from paying consumers, but the discoms also acknowledge the added advantages of rooftop solar. These include the avoided costs associated with generation, transmission, and distribution losses, as well as adherence with renewable purchase obligations. Through achievement-linked incentives for the incremental rooftop solar capacity deployed in discom’s operational region, the discoms are encouraged to promote rooftop solar installations. The MNRE has given incentives to several discoms totaling Rs 9.08 billion so far. The purpose of these incentives is to allow discoms to establish a supportive environment that would facilitate the fast execution of rooftop solar projects within their respective regions.
The tasks that need to be completed in this regard include, but are not limited to, hiring manpower for the its implementation, evaluating rooftops, managing bids for selecting system integrators including rates, technical studies, upgrading ERP systems, offering consumers time-bound services, inspecting and monitoring rooftop solar plants online, managing commissioned capacity in an online database, raising consumer awareness and publicity, making sure net meters are available, supplying grid connectivity, and developing capacity of officers.