Rooftop solar scheme: Rules for financial aid released

THE MINISTRY OF new and renewable energy (MNRE) has issued operational guidelines for implementing the payment security mechanism (PSM) and central financial assistance (CFA) for residential consumers through the renewable energy services company (RESCO) model and utility-led aggregation (ULA) model under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.

- ARUNIMA BHARADWAJ

The implementation period of the scheme shall be till March 31, 2027, said the ministry.

As per the guidelines, to avail CFA, the residential rooftop solar plant would be the grid connected solar power system tagged to a particular residential power connection of the local discoms and will only include installations on a roof, terrace, balcony or on top of elevated structures.

Special systems like Building Integrated PV (BiPV) and setups under group net metering or virtual net metering, if approved by discoms, also qualify. CFA will be provided for installations up to 3 kW capacity under ULA proposals, the guidelines said.

"The objective of the scheme component is to establish the implementation mechanism for supporting installations through RESCO and ULA models for rooftop solar for eligible consumer categories and to enable discoms and state governments to support rooftop solar development under RESCO and ULA models of deployment," it said.