Solar Rooftop Yojana: Government Solar Panel Scheme | solarrooftop.gov.in online application

We all know that the demand for electricity, both for home uses and industries, is growing exponentially in India. The current thermal, hydel and nuclear power plants are unable to cope with this huge surge in demand as India marches towards becoming a developed country.

Keeping these shortages of power in mind, the Central government has launched the Solar Rooftop Yojana. This is a scheme that would help ordinary citizens of India to cut down on their dependence on commercially generated electricity while fuelling the needs of nearby residents for power too.

Why Government Solar Power Scheme?

It’s not only India but also the entire world that’s going to face power shortages in the future. Therefore, all countries are looking at sustainable ways to generate electric power at affordable costs.

At the same time, countries are also looking for what are known as renewable and environment friendly sources of power generation to cut their dependence on petroleum, coal or nuclear resources.

In such a scenario, solar power and wind power provide two excellent alternatives to other resources for generating power. Considering that India is facing acute shortages of power, the Central government has decided to make solar power popular in India through the Solar Rooftop Yojana.

The scheme comes as part of the National Solar Mission launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Understanding the Solar Rooftop Yojana

You can find a lot of details about the Solar Rooftop Yojana at the official website of the government, solarrooftop.gov.in.

However, I will describe the entire scheme to you in depth, so that you can understand clearly.

The Indian government has allotted a fund of Rs.150 billion to popularize the Solar Rooftop Yojana by providing subsidies to houses, residential and commercial buildings as well as industries that will install solar power panels and other equipment.

These solar panels and related equipment will help residents and industry owners to fully or partly meet their needs for electricity.

This in turn will reduce their dependence on commercially generated electrical power. And they can also supply surplus power to neighboring dwellings or industrial units and earn some income.

Currently, a lot of offices, industries and even government organizations are deploying solar rooftops to meet their electricity needs. However, the scheme is popular in urban centers in the city, because buildings with multiple dwelling units or offices can share the cost of the installation as well as the generated power.

Nowadays, the Solar Rooftop Yojana is becoming popular among residents of rural areas too. However, the proliferation of solar rooftops in villages is yet to take off fully. And hence, the Central government is incentivizing the scheme.

How Solar Rooftop Yojana Works?

The Solar Rooftop Yojana works in collaboration between the Central government, state governments and Union Territory administrations as well as state-owned and private power generation and supply companies.

While the state government will provide residents and industry owners with benefits from the Central government, the state-owned and private electricity companies are expected to give the necessary technical know-how to install the solar rooftops on houses, buildings and industrial premises.

Eligibility for Solar Rooftop Yojana

Here’s the eligibility criteria for the Solar Rooftop Yojana. You can also check on the website I mention above, to find if you’re eligible for subsidies under the Solar Rooftop Yojana.

The Solar Rooftop Yojana is open to all residents of India.
To be eligible, you must own an independent house or dwelling or be the owner of an industrial unit.
Additionally, all residents of a building or owners of commercia or industrial units can jointly apply for the Solar Rooftop Yojana subsidies from the state government.
To qualify, your dwelling or building or industrial unit must have adequate space on the rooftop where the solar panels can be fitted.
You can request assistance from the state or private electricity company in determining your power consumption per day and recommending a proper solar power generation unit for your dwelling, building or industrial unit.

As we can see, most residents of India can avail of the Solar Rooftop Yojana since the eligibility terms and conditions are fairly simple.

Cost of Setting Up Solar Rooftop

According to various sources, the cost of setting up a solar rooftop panel and related equipment varies between Rs.60,000 and Rs.160,000, depending on the number of dwelling or industrial units. For a single dwelling unit, the cost is lower- around Rs.45,000.

The Central government, through the state government will provide a 30 percent subsidy over the cost of the equipment and the installation.

In some North Eastern States including Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, Union Territories including Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep can get up to 70 percent subsidy through the government for setting up a solar rooftop.

The government, at its discretion, can provide up to 80 percent subsidy to schools, colleges and educational institutions, charities and other Non-Government Organizations involved in welfare work for setting up a solar rooftop.

Income from Solar Rooftop Yojana

Currently, there’re no clear guidelines on how individual units can supply electrical power to neighboring dwellings or industries and charge them for the utility.

However, various sources indicate that such billing would generally be have to done in collaboration with state-owned or private electricity companies, since they operate the meters to measure electric power consumption at households and industries or other institutions.

It is estimated that individuals and industrial units that supply power to others could earn up to Rs.3,000 per month, which make the Solar Rooftop Yojana very attractive.

That’s because the income will defray and pay for the cost of the solar panel and other equipment over a period of time. Maintenance of the solar panel and its infrastructure is however the responsibility of the person or organization that opts for the Solar Rooftop Yojana.

Solar Rooftop Yojana Apply Online

In order to get benefits from the Solar Rooftop Yojana, you can take the following steps

Step 1: Before fixing the rooftop solar power plant, applicants have to contact their existing electricity providers. Engineers from these electricity providers will visit the premises to assess suitability of the area and make recommendations. They will also estimate the cost of setting up a solar rooftop and the fees payable.

Step 2: These officials and engineers will also provide the necessary approvals for setting up the solar rooftop, if the premises meets the stipulated terms and conditions.

Step 3: After the successful installation of the rooftop solar power plant along with needed gird rooftop connection, you have to contact the electricity provider for conducting inspections.

Step-4: After getting the approval from the visiting officers of the electricity providers, you can avail subsidy amount and as well as the tariff details to sell their excessive generated power units by the solar power grid connections.

Step-5: You can also contact the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for further details and assistance, if necessary, by calling their helpdesk number or by visiting their local office, if it’s nearby.

Solar Rooftop Yojana Overview

Scheme / Yojana Name	Solar Rooftop Yojana.
Yojana Beneficiaries	to help ordinary citizens of India to cut down on their dependence on commercially generated electricity while fueling the needs of nearby residents for power too.
Page Category	Sarkari Yojana
Scheme Objective	to make solar power popular in India
Official Website	www.solarrooftop.gov.in
DISCOM Portal Links	Click here

Other Popular Sarkari Yojana:

In Conclusion

Thousands of households and industrial units across India are installing the solar rooftop under the scheme and availing subsidies as well as earning some income.

You too could help India control carbon emission and other pollution arising from use of conventional electricity generation methods by installing solar panels and equipment under the Solar Rooftop Yojana.