Latest news with #:MuftBijliYojana
Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
PM Surya Ghar Yojana: Solar panel system to be installed at houses of local public reps soon
In a bid to promote use of solar energy among people under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, the district administration has decided to install solar panel systems at the houses of local public representatives in the first phase. (Pic for representation) They would include village heads (gram pradhans), members of the block development councils (kshetra panchayats), gram panchayat members and district panchayat members, said Prayagraj district development officer (DDO) GP Kushwaha who issued directives in this regard on June 20. 'The move aims to encourage wider participation in the scheme, especially in rural areas where adoption remains low despite government subsidies,' he added. The state government is emphasising the use of natural sources of energy. Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, people get solar panel systems at subsidised rates. Despite all efforts, people in rural areas are not getting it installed in large numbers as was expected. In view of this, people are now being motivated to install solar panels in every house, said officials. The DDO has asked all the block development officers (BDOs) to motivate rural public representatives to install solar panels in the first phase, so that other people also get inspired to install it at their places. The BDOs have also been asked to develop a model village in every block where solar panels should be installed in every house so that other villages nearby are also inspired to follow suit, said officials. Currently, the district has 1,540 pradhans, 84 district panchayat members, 2,084 area panchayat members and 19,820 gram panchayat members who would all be motivated to install the solar panel systems in their homes as part of this scheme, they added. Project officer, Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency at Prayagraj, Shahid Siddiqui said so far, 4,757 solar power systems have been installed in the district while 11,136 applications have been received and are being processed. So far, 4,383 people have been granted subsidies by the government that includes ₹ 90,000 for 2KW and ₹ 1.08 lakh for 3 KW systems that are installed by the state government selected vendors under the scheme. The Government of India approved the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana on February 29, 2024 to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households for generation and optimum utilisation of green energy.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Tata Power rolls out affordable solar rooftop solutions in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Leading rooftop solar company, Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) on Tuesday announced the launch of an affordable rooftop solar solution in Odisha under its ' Ghar Ghar Solar ' campaign. The programme was launched in the presence of MD and CEO of Tata Power Dr Praveer Sinha and MD & CEO of (TPREL) Sanjay Banga, here at a function. The company in a statement said that its accessible, consumer-centric financing model makes rooftop solar affordable for a broader segment of Odisha's population. "Residents can install systems with minimal upfront investment starting from Rs 2,499 for 1 kW system," an official said. The official said it will turn solar adoption from an aspiration into an economically viable option. This first-of-its-kind initiative is set to accelerate residential rooftop solar adoption across the state by enabling customers to pay just one-third of the total amount, making solar power more accessible, affordable, and seamlessly integrated into households, the statement said. Odisha consumers gain substantial financial benefits through the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which offers subsidies up to Rs 78,000 for solar systems up to 3 kW, covering nearly 40 per cent of the installation costs. The initiative is further strengthened through the state government's additional subsidy of Rs 25,000 for a 1 kW system and Rs 50,000 for a 2 kW system. "This financial support significantly accelerates rooftop solar adoption, making clean energy solutions accessible to households across the state," the TPREL official said. Odisha has already witnessed a remarkable surge in rooftop solar adoption, significantly driven by the growing awareness created through the 'Ghar Ghar Solar' initiative. In 2024-25 fiscal, the Company boarded 1,033 new solar rooftop customers, a tenfold increase from the 2023-24 fiscal in the state. The Commercial and Industrial segment also showed consistent growth in Odisha, with 76 consumers added in FY25, up from 56 consumers in FY24. The company said TPREL offers a comprehensive range of benefits to its solar rooftop consumers, including a 25-year warranty on modules, trusted quality assurance, exclusive sales and service in over 450+ districts, lifetime service and after-sales support across India, easy financing options, and insurance for solar rooftop systems. PTI
New Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Tata Power rolls out affordable solar rooftop solutions
BHUBANESWAR: With the state struggling to meet the target of powering three lakh households through rooftop solar system under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) on Tuesday rolled out an affordable plan to boost ground-level adoption of the scheme. Launching the 'Ghar Ghar Solar' campaign, TPREL, a subsidiary of Tata Power, said the company's accessible, consumer-centric financing model will make rooftop solar affordable for a broader segment of the population. 'Residents can install solar systems with minimal upfront investment starting from `2,499 for 1 kW, `4,999 for 2 kW and `7,999 for 3 kW. This initiative will help households, turning solar adoption from an aspiration into an economically viable option,' said Tata Power CEO and MD Praveer Sinha. The first-of-its-kind initiative is set to accelerate residential rooftop solar adoption across the state by enabling customers to pay just one-third of the total amount, making solar power affordable and seamlessly integrated into households, he said.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Chandigarh ramps up rooftop solar push under PM Surya Ghar Yojana
Aiming to promote the use of solar energy in private homes, Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (Crest) has initiated a big move under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojna. Crest plans to involve several departments of the Chandigarh administration to help spread awareness and encourage people to join this central government scheme. In a detailed letter, Crest has asked the municipal commissioner, deputy commissioner, and secretary engineering of the UT administration to actively support the scheme. Their role will be to engage with residents and motivate them to install rooftop solar panels . The goal is to help one crore households across the country generate their own electricity using solar power by the end of the 2026-2027 financial year. In its communication to the officials, Crest explained that the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) will soon brief field officers and promote experience-sharing on the scheme. Therefore, it is important to help people understand the scheme, its guidelines, and its goals. The letter reads that a video conference will soon be held by the ministry to brief field officers and encourage experience-sharing. Officers are expected to actively participate and come well-prepared with a good understanding of the scheme's guidelines and objectives. According to the Chandigarh administration, CREST has already implemented the scheme on govt properties. By installing solar panels on the rooftops of govt buildings, it is generating around 20 megawatts (MW) of solar power under this scheme alone. The challenge now is to expand to private buildings, which requires the consent of individual households. Chandigarh is generating about 90 MW of solar power. Resco vs PM scheme Under the Resco model for private properties, which is still awaiting approval from the central government, consumers will not have to pay anything upfront. A selected company will install solar panels on rooftops at no cost to the property owner. In return, the consumer will be charged ₹3.95 per unit (kWh) of electricity generated. This rate will remain fixed for a BOT (build, operate, transfer) period of less than 20 years. Out of this amount, ₹0.07 per unit will be retained by the electricity department as facilitation charges, while the remaining ₹3.88 per unit will be paid to the Resco company on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. In contrast, under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana , the consumer is required to make an initial capital investment to install the solar panels. However, the government provides a subsidy to support this investment. For installations up to 2 kilowatts, a subsidy of ₹30,000 per kilowatt is offered, totalling Rs 60,000. For the third kilowatt, an additional ₹18,000 is provided. This means that for a 3-KW system, the subsidy is ₹78,000. No more subsidy is given for systems above 3 KW, as the maximum subsidy cap is fixed at ₹78,000.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Live in a flat? You can still go solar — Here's how India's new policy makes it possible
But there's one problem: You don't own the roof, and neither do the hundred other families living in the building. In India's densely populated cities, this is not an exception- it's a rule. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Imagine living in a rented flat in a high-rise building in Mumbai. You want to go solar—not just to reduce your electricity bill, but to contribute to a greener future. But there's one problem: you don't own the roof, and neither do the hundred other families living in the building. In India's densely populated cities, this is not an exception—it's the India's rooftop solar mission has made headlines, it has quietly left out a significant portion of its urban population: renters, apartment dwellers, and housing societies. But a quiet innovation—Virtual Net Energy Metering (VNEM)—is now being looked at as a powerful solution that could bring the solar revolution to every city balcony, rented flat, and cooperative society. The question is: can it scale, and will policymakers make it mainstream before the opportunity slips away? Virtual Net Energy Metering allows multiple electricity consumers—such as tenants in a building or members of a housing society—to collectively benefit from a single rooftop solar installation. Rather than each consumer installing separate solar panels, a shared system can be installed on a common roof or another designated location, with the energy credits distributed virtually to individual electricity model is particularly attractive for cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, where high-rise living and rented accommodations are the norm. It enables democratised access to solar energy without needing direct rooftop ownership.'Consumers in cities are eager to participate in solar programs, but lack of rooftop access is a deal-breaker. VNEM solves that problem,' says Rahul Raizada, Partner – Climate and Energy, PwC has shown early signs of embracing VNEM. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) released operational guidelines in June 2024 under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which allows installations under group net metering and VNEM to be eligible for Central Financial Assistance (CFA). Sujjain Talwar , Co-Founding Partner, Economic Laws Practice, notes: 'The 2024 guidelines allow renters and housing societies to benefit from VNEM. But implementation is still fragmented across states.'Currently, states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have introduced VNEM through regulatory commission orders, but there is no unified national regulation. Electricity, being a concurrent subject under the Indian Constitution, means each State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) has its own interpretation, criteria, and approval adds, 'The Forum of Regulators should ideally release model VNEM regulations to drive uniformity and scale.'Despite the policy intent, real-world implementation remains a challenge. According to Raizada, VNEM alone is not enough—it must be accompanied by a comprehensive strategy that includes:1. Smart metering at the LT (low-tension) level, which is currently lacking2. Granular load flow studies, so DISCOMs can assess how shared solar affects their grids3. Consumer-meter coordination systems, to virtually assign energy credits accurately4. Billing system upgrades, especially for LT consumers'Our current billing infrastructure was not designed for dynamic, multi-user energy crediting,' says Raizada. 'VNEM at scale will require major software upgrades and rethinking of how we track and allocate solar units.'Perhaps the biggest invisible barrier to VNEM adoption is utility resistance. Distribution companies (DISCOMs), already under financial stress, fear that large-scale adoption of VNEM could erode their high-paying urban consumer base.'VNEM is seen as a threat to DISCOM revenue stability. But it doesn't have to be,' Raizada explains. 'If implemented strategically—with safeguards like time-of-day settlements, credit caps, and integration with storage—it could actually reduce peak demand stress and grid congestion.'DISCOMs could also be incentivised to identify high-density areas where VNEM makes grid sense—like high-rise apartments or commercial zones with constrained distribution potential enabler lies in emerging digital technologies. Blockchain, for example, offers a transparent and tamper-proof way to track solar generation, consumption, and credit allocation.'Blockchain could automate VNEM settlements and resolve disputes, especially when multiple users are involved,' Raizada the operational layer, third-party ownership models—offered by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and Energy Service Companies (ESCOs)—can help address the issue of maintenance, performance, and billing, making VNEM more attractive to housing Delhi, several institutional users and RWAs have tested group net metering, while Chandigarh has proactively piloted community solar models under the guidance of CREST (Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society).These examples show that with the right incentives and outreach, VNEM can succeed. However, experts caution that the model needs customization—urban India is not monolithic, and VNEM designs must accommodate different ownership patterns, tariff structures, and utility VNEM to truly revolutionize urban solar in India, the following must fall into place:1. Standardised regulations across states, ideally guided by model VNEM rules from the Forum of Regulators2. Digital upgrades to LT billing systems and smart meters3. Incentives for DISCOMs to adopt VNEM in grid-stressed urban zones4. Consumer education campaigns to build awareness of shared solar models5. Mandating inclusion of VNEM in PM Surya Ghar rollouts for high-density housing'Without solving for renters and multi-tenanted buildings, rooftop solar will remain a limited solution in India,' says solar ambitions are bold and necessary. But they cannot be fulfilled unless we bring everyone along—not just homeowners with south-facing rooftops, but also renters in high-rises, families in old DDA flats, and tenants in gated Net Energy Metering is not just a policy innovation. It's a path to solar equity, urban energy inclusion, and real climate resilience in our growing a revolution waiting to be scaled. And with the right wires connected—policy, technology, and infrastructure—it just might power the next big chapter of India's clean energy journey.
