The Ministry of Power has issued new guidelines to streamline rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to allow for automatic enhancement of sanctioned load by power distribution companies (DISCOMs) and collection of charges at the time of commissioning.

The guidelines, released in a ministry’s letter to the states and union territories, aim to reach 10 million households by 2026-27.

As per the guidelines, DISCOMs must operationalize the deemed load enhancement up to 10 kW as per rules for deemed acceptance of applications for solar power systems up to 10 kW capacity. They must also approve commensurate enhancement of the sanctioned load for the consumer.

To prevent multiple visits to the DISCOM offices, various payments for rooftop solar installations, such as the application fee, load enhancement charges, meter testing charges, net meter charges, and commissioning fees, can be collected during commissioning.

All the associated fees to be paid by the consumer should be displayed on DISCOM websites.

The ministry has asked DISCOMs to prioritize smart meter installations under the Revamped Distribution Sector program for PM Surya Ghar installations without levying additional charges.

DISCOMs must also maintain an adequate stock of tested net meters. Vendors will be allowed to submit at least 100 net meters at a time for testing to ensure sufficient inventory to be issued to consumers post-installation.

DISCOMs must provide a digital mode of acceptance to avoid delays in signing and submitting net metering arrangements. The signed copy of the net meter arrangement must be collected from the consumer at any time before inspection, and a copy signed by the DISCOM should be handed over to the consumer before commissioning.

The distribution companies have been directed to ensure consumer details are digitized and uploaded on the portal to facilitate easy uploading to the PM Surya Ghar portal.

Previously, technical feasibility was waived for rooftop solar projects up to 10 kW. The ministry also allowed load enhancements up to 10 kW, the signing of a connection agreement, the installation of a meter, and successful commissioning of the project within 15 days from the date of the installation certificate.

In May 2024, the Karnataka government declared that Bangalore Electricity Supply Company would serve as the nodal agency for creating a website and a mobile app for rooftop solar installations.