The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) plans to install rooftop solar systems on all central and state government buildings by December 2025 as part of the recently approved PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

With an outlay of ₹750 billion (~$9.04 billion), the program aims to increase residential rooftop solar capacity and empower households to generate electricity until 2026-27.

In a document issuing guidelines for the comprehensive program, the MNRE called for “saturation” of all government buildings with rooftop solar.

The document said that the rooftops of all government buildings, including those of autonomous bodies and subordinate offices, will be equipped with solar panels to the maximum extent technically feasible.

Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) with experience in renewable energy will assist the Central Ministries in deploying rooftop solar on their assets. MNRE will take charge of monitoring and tracking installations across the government sector.

The guidelines outline several implementation mechanisms to suit different needs and scenarios.

• CPSE-owned deployment, where CPSEs invest their own resources to install, own, and operate rooftop solar projects: The power generated at these sites will be sold to the building under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with tenures of between ten and 25 years. Any surplus will be fed into the local DISCOM grid for additional compensation.
• CPSE as an intermediary aggregator involving bidding out projects to Renewable Energy Service Companies: The power generated at these sites will be sold to the CPSE under a PPA, which will then sell it to the building under a power sale agreement of tenures between ten and 25 years. Any surplus will be fed into the local DISCOM grid for additional compensation.
• Process Management Consultant, where CPSEs assist in designing bid documents and managing the bid process, along with “handholding” until the commissioning is completed. CPSEs will be paid 3% of the project cost for their services.
• Turnkey Project, where ministries or departments fund the project and assign work to CPSEs on a turnkey basis. The CPSE and its sub-contractors will provide operation and maintenance services for at least five years.

The CPSEs that have been considered under the program are NTPC, NHPC India, SJVN, THDC India, Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), Damodar Valley Corporation, REMC, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN). This list is not final, however.

The government has also established a national-level Steering Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, which oversees overall progress. State Level Monitoring Committees, led by Chief Secretaries, track progress in their respective states. A digital tracking system through the PM Surya Ghar National Portal will also monitor installations and progress in real time.

No Central Financial Assistance will be provided under the program.

Recently, the MNRE released a framework for the enlistment of solar photovoltaic modules and inverters under the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to assist consumers in making informed choices when selecting high-efficiency products with better warranties for their rooftop solar installations.