The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released the operational guidelines for the implementation of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, focusing on the central financial assistance (CFA) to residential consumers component. These guidelines address the implementation of CFA to residential consumers under the capex mode, limited to eligible consumer categories. The guidelines for other programme components will be issued separately. The guidelines will apply to all applications submitted on the national portal starting February 13, 2024. The programme’s implementation period will continue until March 31, 2027. Eligible consumers can access the PM Surya Ghar national portal to take advantage of the programme’s benefits.
The Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Phase II Programme, operational since 2019 and slated to run through 2025-26, has now been incorporated into the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. The CFA and other financial disbursements for PM Surya Ghar will be sourced from the Phase II programme’s budget, until the dedicated budget for the new programme is in place. Once the new programme is operational, its funds will be used to cover the ongoing liabilities of the Phase II programme. Ongoing projects under Phase II will adhere to Phase II guidelines, but budget allocations will be sourced from the new programme’s funding. The programme offers CFA for the installation of grid-connected rooftop solar projects in residential settings. Eligible installations include those on rooftops, terraces, balconies, elevated structures, and building integrated PV systems. Installations are also eligible under group net metering and virtual net metering if sanctioned by the local discom and situated on designated structures.
CFA support can be utilised for installations funded by consumers using personal savings or loans. However, renewable energy service company and state-led aggregation models are not included and will be governed by different guidelines. CFA is not available to non-residential sectors, including government, commercial, and industrial segments. The eligible connections under the programme are for shared facilities in group housing and residential welfare associations, excluding individual residential consumers. CFA support is offered to entities managing common facilities, like apartment owner associations and cooperative housing societies. Additional subsidies may be provided by state and union governments, but they must comply with programme guidelines and be distributed through the national portal. Benchmark costs will be updated during the programme’s midterm review or sooner if there are significant changes in module prices, requiring budget adjustments with the Department of Expenditure’s approval.
The installation must use solar modules that meet the domestic content requirement condition, which is a critical eligibility criterion to be eligible for the CFA. Consumers have the option to voluntarily forego CFA benefits, which allows the programme to benefit more users. This can be done through a ‘Give It Up’ option available on the national portal. Consumers who choose to opt out are permitted to install systems using non-domestic modules.