The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) has prepared plans to install 3 million rooftop solar systems on houses in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar – Muft Bijli Yojana.

The state has set a district/region-wise target and directed all field offices to focus on technical feasibility approvals and meter testing. MSEDCL has also urged that efforts be taken to create awareness among prospective consumers through camps, advertisements, and social media.

The region-wise rooftop solar system targets are as follows: Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar region, 407,500; Konkan region, 934,600; Nagpur region, 892,500; and Pune region, 765,400.

The selected regions include 47 circles in 16 zones with approximately 22.43 million residential consumers.

Under the new program, a subsidy of ₹30,000 (~$361)/kW will be provided for residential rooftop solar systems up to 2 kW for applications submitted after February 13, 2024. An additional ₹18,000 (~$217)/kW will be available for systems of over 2 kW and up to 3 kW capacity, while for projects exceeding 3 kW, depending on the average monthly power consumption of the household, the total subsidy will be capped at ₹78,000 (~$939).

The program, with an outlay of ₹750 billion (~$9.04 billion), aims to install rooftop solar systems in 10 million households across the country in a bid to reduce the electricity expenditure of poor and middle-class households.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on the microblogging site X, said urban local bodies and panchayats would be incentivized to promote rooftop solar systems in their jurisdictions.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is yet to provide an official clarification on the role of the Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSU) in the rooftop solar program after the recent report by Mercom on the Ministry’s considering doing away with the CPSUs’ involvement and implement the new program through the old process and new subsidy structure.