Rooftop Solar and PM Surya Ghar

How households can generate their own solar power, how net metering works, and India's 2024 scheme to put solar on one crore homes.

Rooftop solar lets homes and businesses generate their own electricity.

PM Surya Ghar

Launched in February 2024, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana aims to install rooftop solar on one crore homes.

Subsidy of up to 78,000 rupees for systems up to 3 kW.
Households can get up to 300 units of free electricity a month from their own panels.

Net metering

With net metering, the meter runs both ways:

Power you produce but don’t use flows to the grid.
You pay only for net consumption.

The economics

Suppose a 3 kW system costs around 1.8 lakh rupees, and the subsidy covers 78,000. The household pays about 1 lakh rupees. If it saves around 2,000 rupees a month, the payback period is about 4 years, and panels last 25 years.

Why discoms are wary

Rooftop solar reduces sales to high-paying customers, hurting discom revenue.

Challenges

Upfront cost and financing.
Roof space and ownership in apartments.
Installer quality.

The rooftop payback

The Sharma family installs a 3 kW rooftop system. Their monthly bill drops from 2,200 rupees to under 300 rupees, and they recover their investment in about four years.

Thinking solar only works in villages

Rooftop solar works on city homes, offices and factories too.

Key takeaways

Rooftop solar lets homes generate their own power.
PM Surya Ghar (2024) targets one crore homes with subsidies.
Net metering credits exported power.
Payback can be around four years for typical systems.