The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released guidelines for implementing two critical components of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) programme, focusing on two key components: central financial assistance (CFA) for residential consumers under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) and utility-led aggregation (ULA) models, and a payment security mechanism to ensure timely payments to RESCO developers. The program supports rooftop solar installations for eligible categories, with implementation running until March 31, 2027.
CFA under PMSGMBY applies to eligible residential rooftop solar systems, including installations on rooftops, terraces, balconies, elevated structures, and special systems like building-integrated photovoltaics. Eligible installations must use approved metering mechanisms like group and virtual net metering if permitted by the local DISCOM and must not exceed 3 kW capacity under ULA proposals. CFA excludes non-residential segments, households with existing solar installations, and additional technologies like battery storage or trackers. Only systems meeting domestic content requirement (DCR) standards qualify, while non-metered grid-connected systems may be considered if regulatory commissions approve.
All installations under ULA and RESCO models must report hourly generation data and integrate with the national portal for transparency. States/UTs must submit detailed ULA proposals, which MNRE’s technical committee reviews within 30 days. Approved ULAs manage project creation, consumer details, and CFA claims. DISCOMS or state agencies inspect installations and process CFA upon compliance. The payment security mechanism, with a corpus of Rs 1 billion managed by NPIA, will ensure automated billing-based payments for rooftop solar projects. RESCO vendors contribute Rs 2,000 per installation, and state guarantees cover payment defaults. Delayed payments incur penalties, including interest based on SBI’s marginal cost of funds lending rate plus surcharges.
