Govt to support, partially fund innovative rooftop solar projects under PM Surya Ghar

New Delhi: The government has issued guidelines for supporting and partially funding innovative projects in the rooftop solar segment under PM Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli Yojana. The ‘Innovative Projects’ component of the scheme will have a financial outlay of Rs 500 crore, said the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The National Institute for Solar Energy (NISE) shall be the Scheme Implementation Agency (SIA) for the scheme component and will invite proposals through advertisements in national newspapers or the national portal of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. It may also seek proposals from identified experts, institutions, and industries capable of implementing technology development activities in relevant areas.

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Listing the objectives, the MNRE said that the scheme will aim to support startups and institutions to conduct collaborative pilots, proof-of-concepts and scaling up of new business models in order to generate new technologies, rooftop solar products and associated innovations and support interventions that can provide new pathways for deployment of distributed renewable energy for households and companies, or to create technological and management tools for DISCOMs to better manage distributed energy resources within their grids.

What kind of rooftop solar projects will be eligible for support?

“Some illustrative examples of Innovative Projectsinclude block chain-based peer to peer RTS, digital solutions for RTS, smart building materials, RTS with EVs, grid responsive RTS with battery storage solutions, DISCOM IT systems for RTS management etc. These may also include the creation of special financing products along with financing intermediaries. Rooftop solar deployments expansion across segments by enabling new and innovative business models, such as Virtual Net Metering and Group Net 'Metering models, Behind the Meter Storage, RTS with EV, Rent-A-Roof Models, Peer-to-Peer Sale of RTS electricity etc,” said the MNRE.

How much financial support can be availed under the scheme?

The financial assistance for innovative projects would be capped at 60 percent of the total project cost or Rs 30 crore, whichever is lower. The project will have a maximum duration of 18 months. In addition, the government has also made provisions for awarding prizes on an annual basis to encourage innovation in Rooftop Solar. The award will consist of a citation and a cash prize of Rs 100 lakh, Rs 50 lakh, Rs 30 lakh, and 10 consolation prizes of Rs 5 lakh each.

Projects will be assessed on the basis of novelty of the idea, concept of the innovative projects, work plan, methodology of the innovative project, value/benefit of innovative proven concept, prototype to society, practicability/feasibility of delivered output of the innovative R&D project, availability of resources and technology with the organisation and previous work experience, experience and expertise of the organisation and support of DISCOM/Regulatory Commission.

The government is aiming to put in place 30 GW of solar capacity through rooftop solar in the residential sector under PM Surya Ghar scheme. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and provides a Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of 60 percent of system cost for 2 kW systems and 40 percent of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity.

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