MNRE Goes Back To the Past To Declare All Rooftop Solar As PM Surya Ghar Achievements

The latest documents from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) make for some starling reading for the solar sector. The MNRE in its latest physical achievements report (upto April 2024) claimed that India’s total installed capacity under PM Surya Ghar scheme touched 12 GW. 

This is barely a few months since the launch of India’s ambitious scheme (in February, to be exact)   which aims to install solar rooftops in one crore households. This came at a time when the overall rooftop installations, especially in the residential segment remained slower and often missed government targets. 

However, a closer look at the numbers claimed under the ‘PM Surya Ghar’ scheme indicated that the MNRE has now declared all the installed capacities of rooftop solar developed in India till now as achievements under this scheme. This included all the achievements under the Rooftop Solar Scheme (RTS-I) and RTS-II. As per the latest MNRE report, India’s total installed capacity under PM Surya Ghar stood at 12,013 MW by the end of April 2024. 

MNRE's latest data fuel-wise installed capacity report (till April 2024). Source: MNRE

Not only this, but a number of rooftop consumers who had enrolled under the National Rooftop Portal before the talks and launch of PM Surya Ghar had also received messages, thanking them for registering under the PM Surya Ghar scheme. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi this year had announced the scheme to increase the deployment of residential rooftop solar projects. He also announced an increase in the subsidies to propel the growth of these projects. As per the MNRE admissions, the scheme was approved on February 29. It had an outlay of Rs 74,021 crore and is supposed to be implemented till FY2026-27. The ministry had granted the administrative approval to the scheme on March 16, 2024. 

The scheme has been planned to be implemented through the National Rooftop Portal. MNRE has already moved the portal to PM Surya Ghar scheme portal. This portal was meant to register, track and disburse the subsidies under the scheme.

As per the scheme, the consumers opting for new residential rooftop solar connections are entitled to get subsidies upto Rs 30,000 per kW upto 2 kW and can get upto Rs 78,000 for a 3 kW connection. This excludes the state subsidies.