PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana 2026: complete subsidy guide for rooftop solar — Earth Energy Log

In 50 words: PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana pays ₹30,000 for 1 kW, ₹60,000 for 2 kW, and ₹78,000 for 3 kW or larger residential rooftop solar, plus collateral-free loans up to ₹2 lakh near 7%. Apply at pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Subsidy reaches your bank via DBT after DISCOM commissioning. Eligibility: residential property, ALMM-listed equipment, registered installer.

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in February 2024 with a ₹75,021 crore outlay, is the Government of India's flagship scheme to put rooftop solar on 1 crore Indian homes by FY 2026-27. By early June 2026 — two years into the programme — the scheme had crossed 33 lakh installations, more than 12 GW of capacity, over 1 crore portal registrations, and roughly ₹22,750 crore disbursed in subsidy, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). This guide covers every step of the application process, the loan options, and what most applicants get wrong.

What the scheme actually provides
Eligibility — who qualifies
Subsidy structure by system size
Step-by-step application process
Required documents
Choosing your installer (vendor selection)
Installation and inspection timeline
Subsidy disbursement: when and how
Collateral-free loans under PM Surya Ghar
Scheme progress in 2026 — where it stands
State top-up subsidies — stacking on the central amount
Common rejection reasons (and how to avoid them)
PM Surya Ghar vs other subsidies — which to use
FAQ

1. What PM Surya Ghar provides

The scheme offers four benefits:

Direct subsidy on installation — up to ₹78,000 for 3 kW and larger systems, paid by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
300 free electricity units per month — for households whose rooftop system generates more than 300 kWh/month and who net-meter the surplus
Collateral-free loan availability — up to ₹2 lakh through partner public-sector banks at concessional rates near 7% (see Section 9)
Net-metering at the DISCOM — surplus units exported to the grid are credited against your bill

The 300 free units claim is the marketing headline. The reality: most Indian homes don't generate 300 surplus units monthly, so the practical benefit for most applicants is the upfront subsidy plus the bill savings from self-consumption. As of June 2026, MNRE reports that over 17 lakh households have reached effectively zero electricity bills under the scheme.

2. Eligibility — who qualifies

You qualify if:

You are an Indian citizen
You own a residential property (rental properties: only the property owner can apply; tenant cannot)
The property has a valid electricity connection in your name
The property has suitable rooftop space for solar (south-facing or unobstructed roof)
You have an Aadhaar card and active bank account

You do NOT qualify if:

Property is commercial/industrial (use other schemes)
Property is rented and you're the tenant
Property is co-owned and other owners haven't consented
You've already received a previous rooftop solar subsidy for the same property

There is no income limit — both lower-income and high-income households can apply. The subsidy amounts are the same regardless of income.

3. Subsidy structure by system size

The Central Financial Assistance (CFA) is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, capped at ₹78,000 for any system of 3 kW or larger. So a 3 kW subsidy works out to ₹30,000 + ₹30,000 + ₹18,000 = ₹78,000.

| Solar capacity | Subsidy amount | Effective customer cost (typical) | |---|---|---| | 1 kW | ₹30,000 | ₹30,000–50,000 out of pocket | | 2 kW | ₹60,000 | ₹50,000–90,000 | | 3 kW | ₹78,000 | ₹80,000–1.40 lakh | | 4 kW | ₹78,000 | ₹1.20–1.85 lakh | | 5 kW | ₹78,000 | ₹1.70–2.70 lakh | | 10 kW | ₹78,000 | ₹4.0–5.5 lakh |

Important: subsidy caps at ₹78,000 for any system 3 kW or larger. Adding more capacity beyond 3 kW does not increase your central subsidy. This is the most common misunderstanding among applicants. (Group Housing Societies and Resident Welfare Associations have a separate CFA track for common-area capacity, not covered by this household table.)

For typical Indian homes consuming 400–800 units/month, a 3 kW system is the sweet spot — it maximises subsidy benefit relative to capital outlay.

4. Step-by-step application process

Step 1: Online registration on the National Portal

Go to https://pmsuryaghar.gov.in and click "Apply for Rooftop Solar"
Select your State, District, and electricity Distribution Company (DISCOM)
Enter your Consumer Account Number exactly as printed on your latest electricity bill — one wrong digit fails DISCOM verification
Register with the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar and verify via OTP
Add your email address; you receive a unique registration number to track status

Step 2: Submit application

Log in to your account on the portal
Click "Apply for Rooftop Solar"
Enter desired system capacity (recommend 3 kW for max subsidy benefit)
Upload required documents (see Section 5)
Submit

Step 3: Feasibility approval

Wait for DISCOM technical feasibility approval (typically 7–14 days)
If approved, you receive a sanction/feasibility letter on the portal

Step 4: Vendor selection and installation

Browse the list of registered vendors in your area on the portal
Get quotes from 3 vendors minimum
Select vendor and confirm installation contract
Vendor installs the system

Step 5: Inspection and net-metering

Submit plant details and apply for net-metering through the portal
DISCOM technician inspects the installation
If approved, DISCOM installs the net-meter
System commissioned; the portal generates a commissioning certificate

Step 6: Subsidy disbursement

Submit your bank account details and a cancelled cheque on the portal (redemption request)
DISCOM confirms commissioning
Subsidy is disbursed via DBT to your bank account — MNRE reports an average of about 15 days after the redemption request, though 30–45 days is a safer expectation

Total timeline from application to subsidy: typically 60–90 days. Aggressive cases close in 45 days; complex cases take 4–6 months.

5. Required documents

Gather these BEFORE starting the application:

Aadhaar card (front and back, clear scans)
Latest electricity bill (must be in your name)
Property ownership proof (title deed, sale deed, or property tax receipt in your name)
Bank account details (cancelled cheque or first page of passbook)
PAN card (for KYC verification)
Recent passport-size photograph
Roof area details (approximate sq meters of available roof)
Consent form if property is co-owned (NOC from other owners)

All documents should be in PDF or JPG, file size under 2 MB each.

6. Choosing your installer (vendor selection)

The registered-vendor list is available on the National Portal. Selection criteria:

Must-have:

Portal/DISCOM registration (verify on the portal)
Local presence in your city/district
ALMM-listed modules and inverter in their quote
Written warranty: 25-year module, 5+ year inverter, 5-year installation warranty
Quote breakdown showing per-component pricing

Strongly preferred:

3+ years in business
50+ residential installations completed
Customer references you can call
Insurance coverage during installation

Red flags:

Quotes significantly below market (₹40,000/kW vs market ₹50,000–60,000/kW) — usually corner-cutting on equipment
Pressure to sign immediately
Reluctance to provide written quote
No physical office address
No customer references

Get quotes from at least 3 vendors. Compare on total cost, equipment specifications, warranty, and references. Note that some states are rolling out a Utility-Linked Aggregation (ULA) model, where the DISCOM aggregates demand and coordinates empanelled vendors — around 30 lakh installations have been planned under ULA — which can simplify vendor selection where it is live.

7. Installation and inspection timeline

Typical residential installation:

Day 1: site survey, structural assessment
Days 2–3: civil work (mounting structure foundation)
Days 4–5: solar panel + inverter installation
Days 6–7: electrical connections, testing
Days 8–14: DISCOM inspection scheduled and completed
Days 15–25: net-meter installation
Days 25–30: system commissioning

Quality installations complete in 2–4 weeks. Rushed installations (1 week) often skip critical steps like structural inspection or test commissioning. Delayed installations (6+ weeks) usually indicate vendor coordination problems.

8. Subsidy disbursement: when and how

Once your system is commissioned and you have submitted the redemption request with bank details:

Typical timeline: MNRE cites an average of about 15 days after the redemption request, but plan for 30–45 days from the completion/commissioning certificate to subsidy in your bank account
Mode of payment: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the bank account you provided
Verification: SMS notification when DBT is initiated; bank credit visible within 2–3 business days

If 45 days pass without DBT, check your application status on the portal. If still showing "pending," raise a grievance through the portal's grievance redressal feature. Persistent issues can be escalated to MNRE through the helpline (1800-11-44-55). A parliamentary review in 2026 flagged high inter-state disparity and delays in approvals and subsidy disbursal as the scheme's main bottlenecks, so timelines vary considerably by state.

9. Collateral-free loans under PM Surya Ghar

A core feature of the scheme is low-interest, collateral-free loans for residential rooftop systems, available through participating public-sector banks. Key points as of 2026:

Loan amount: up to ₹2 lakh, unsecured (no collateral) for systems up to 3 kW
Interest rates: concessional, broadly in the 7% range. State Bank of India lists PM Surya Ghar rooftop solar loans around 7.15% per annum; Canara Bank and Union Bank of India have advertised among the most competitive rates, roughly 6.5%–7.15% per annum. PNB and Bank of Baroda also participate
Tenure: long repayment windows (10 years and more, depending on the lender)
How it stacks: the ₹30,000–₹78,000 subsidy lands in your account by DBT and can be used to part-prepay or reduce the loan principal

Always confirm the current rate, processing fee, and tenure directly with the bank — published rates change and vary by applicant profile. Loan links are also surfaced through the National Portal during the application flow.

10. Scheme progress in 2026 — where it stands

The scheme has scaled rapidly. Figures reported by MNRE and the Minister of New and Renewable Energy (Pralhad Joshi) at the two-year mark, in early June 2026:

| Metric | Value (as of early June 2026) | |---|---| | Rooftop installations | More than 33 lakh systems | | Capacity added | Over 12 GW | | Portal registrations | More than 1 crore households | | Applications received | Over 65 lakh | | Subsidy (CFA) disbursed | Over ₹22,750 crore (₹2,743 crore in May 2026 alone) | | Households at zero electricity bill | More than 17 lakh | | Beneficiary households covered | Over 40 lakh | | Current installation run-rate | Over 3 lakh per month |

For context, earlier 2026 snapshots show the trajectory: by 19–20 March 2026 the scheme had recorded roughly 26.2 lakh installations, about 9.56 GW, and around ₹17,967 crore in CFA. State leaders (March 2026): Gujarat (about 5.95 lakh installations), Maharashtra (about 4.76 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (about 4.21 lakh), followed by Kerala and Rajasthan.

On targets: against the headline goal of 1 crore households by FY 2026-27, the government has set a near-term milestone of 75 lakh households by December 2026. Independent reviews note that hitting 1 crore will require sustaining and increasing the current run-rate, and that inter-state disparity remains a real risk to the timeline.

Beyond the household rooftop component, the scheme funds a Model Solar Village programme — one model village per district, with a ₹800 crore outlay and ₹1 crore per selected village — and MNRE has signalled plans to integrate Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as storage costs fall. See our hub on battery storage for how home storage changes the economics.

11. State top-up subsidies — stacking on the central amount

Several states layer additional incentives on top of the central CFA, which can meaningfully cut your out-of-pocket cost. These have been offered at various times and change frequently, so treat the figures below as indicative and verify current status with your state nodal agency or DISCOM before budgeting:

| State | Reported top-up (verify locally) | |---|---| | Gujarat | Additional state subsidy reported around ₹10,000/kW in some periods; DISCOM-borne net-metering cost | | Maharashtra | Free net-meter via MSEDCL; additional ₹6,000/kW reported for 1–3 kW rural systems | | Rajasthan | Additional state subsidy reported around ₹8,000/kW; expedited approval | | Uttar Pradesh | UPNEDA additional incentive reported (e.g. extra support for SC/ST households) |

In states with an active top-up, the combined central-plus-state subsidy on a 3 kW system can exceed ₹1 lakh. Because state schemes are revised often and budgets are exhausted, do not present these as guaranteed amounts — confirm before you commit. For the wider policy picture, see our policy hub and the India region page.

12. Common rejection reasons

The most frequent application rejection or delay reasons:

Mismatched document name

Aadhaar, electricity bill, property document, and bank account must all be in the same name. Any mismatch triggers verification delays or rejection.

Wrong consumer number or DISCOM

Entering a consumer account number or DISCOM that does not exactly match your electricity bill fails DISCOM verification at registration. Copy it digit-for-digit from a recent bill.

Property not residential

If the electricity connection category shows "commercial" instead of "domestic," the application is rejected. Check your electricity bill connection category before applying.

Roof unsuitable

DISCOM technical feasibility may reject installations on roofs with:

Insufficient unshaded area
Structural weakness
Lease/dispute on the building
Heritage/protected building status

Vendor not on registered list

Installations by vendors not on the portal's registered list don't qualify for subsidy. Always select from the official list.

Non-ALMM equipment

Modules or inverters not on the ALMM list disqualify the installation. The vendor must provide ALMM-listed equipment.

Missing or invalid documents

Most common: low-resolution Aadhaar scans, expired electricity bills, missing property ownership proof for co-owned properties.

13. PM Surya Ghar vs other subsidies — which to use

Several other schemes touch rooftop solar:

| Scheme | Customer type | Subsidy amount | When to use | |---|---|---|---| | PM Surya Ghar | Residential | Up to ₹78,000 | Standard residential rooftop | | State-level top-ups | Residential (some states) | Additional ₹5,000–25,000 (varies; verify) | Check Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP | | PM-KUSUM (Component A/B/C) | Agricultural | Different structure | For solar pumps + grid-connected farm solar | | State industrial solar incentives | Commercial/Industrial | Varies | Commercial PPAs and captive |

For typical residential customers: PM Surya Ghar plus any applicable state top-up is the right path. If you are financing the system, pair it with a collateral-free PM Surya Ghar loan (Section 9) and use the DBT subsidy to reduce the principal. See our hubs on solar, inverters, and solar finance for the component and financing decisions that sit alongside the subsidy.

14. Frequently asked questions

How much subsidy do I get under PM Surya Ghar in 2026?

₹30,000 for a 1 kW system, ₹60,000 for 2 kW, and ₹78,000 for 3 kW or larger. The rate is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, and the central subsidy is capped at ₹78,000 — adding capacity beyond 3 kW does not increase it.

How do I register on the National Rooftop Solar Portal?

Go to pmsuryaghar.gov.in, click "Apply for Rooftop Solar," select your State, District and DISCOM, and enter your electricity consumer account number exactly as printed on your bill. Register with the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar, verify by OTP, and you receive a unique registration number to track the application. Registration is free.

How long does the entire process take?

60–90 days typically from application to subsidy in your bank account. Some states are faster; others slower. MNRE reports an average of about 15 days for the subsidy DBT itself after the redemption request, but build in buffer.

Can I get a loan, and what is the interest rate?

Yes. Collateral-free loans up to ₹2 lakh are available through participating public-sector banks (SBI, PNB, Canara, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank and others) at concessional rates broadly in the 7% range — SBI lists around 7.15% per annum, with some banks advertising near 6.5%–7.15%. Confirm the current rate and tenure with the bank.

How many households have benefited so far?

As of early June 2026, MNRE reports more than 33 lakh rooftop solar installations and over 12 GW of capacity, with over ₹22,750 crore disbursed as subsidy and more than 17 lakh households reaching zero electricity bills. Portal registrations have crossed 1 crore against the 1 crore-household target for FY 2026-27.

Can I install solar without applying for subsidy?

Yes. You can install rooftop solar without going through PM Surya Ghar. But you'd be giving up ₹30,000–₹78,000 in subsidy plus access to the concessional loan — usually not worth it unless you're in a hurry.

What if my DISCOM doesn't approve my application?

Most rejections are documentation or technical-feasibility issues that can be fixed and resubmitted. For a genuinely arbitrary rejection, raise a grievance on the portal and, if needed, escalate to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Can I increase my system size after initial installation?

Yes, but you cannot claim additional central subsidy. The ₹78,000 cap is one-time per residential property.

Will the subsidy continue beyond 2026?

The scheme is currently sanctioned through FY 2026-27 with the 1 crore-household target and a ₹75,021 crore outlay. The near-term target is 75 lakh households by December 2026. The government has signalled likely continuation and integration of battery storage, but any successor structure for 2027 onwards is not yet notified.

What if I sell my property after installation?

The solar system stays with the property. The subsidy is not clawed back. The new owner inherits the equipment and warranty.

Can NRIs apply?

Yes, NRIs can apply for properties they own in India. The Aadhaar-linked mobile and KYC requirements are easier for resident citizens but are workable for NRIs with valid Aadhaar.

Researched and drafted with AI assistance; reviewed and edited by the named author within 24 hours of draft. Also see: Solar panel cost in India 2026, Best solar inverter for home in India, Residential solar financing, and the ALMM glossary entry.

Table of contents