Govt's Big Push For Wider Solar Adoption: Now Households Can Install Solar Roof Top Themselves

Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh has directed the officials to simplify the rooftop solar scheme to enable its wider adoption.

He also directed that henceforth, it will not be necessary for any household to get the roof top solar installed by any listed vendors.

The minister's directions came after he reviewed the progress of Roof Top Scheme on Wednesday (19 January).

"After the review, the Minister gave directions for simplifying the Roof Top Scheme, so that the people are able to access it easily," the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in a release on Friday (21 January).

The households may also install the roof top by themselves or get the roof top installed by any vendor of their choice, and inform the distribution company about the installation alongwith a photograph of the system which has been installed, the ministry said.

The intimation to the DISCOM of the installation of the roof top can be given either in the material form through a letter or application or on the designated website which has been set up by every DISCOM and by the Centre for the Roof Top Scheme, it added.

The distribution company will ensure that the netmetering will be provided within 15 days of the information being received.

The subsidy to be given by the Centre, which is 40 per cent for roof top of upto 3 KW capacity and 20 per cent beyond that upto 10 KW, will be credited to the account of the householder by the DISCOM within 30 days of the installation.

To ensure that the quality of the solar panel and the inverter is according to the prescribed standard, the Centre will publish from time to time the lists of solar panel manufacturers and inverter manufacturers whose products meet the expected quality standards and the price lists thereof; and the householder can select the solar panels and inverter of his choice, the ministry said.

The option of getting the roof top installed by any of the vendors designated by the DISCOM remains available as earlier. In such cases also, the householder may select the solar panel and inverter of his choice, it added.