India Allocates INR 5 Billion To Back Innovative Rooftop PV Projects

The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has allocated INR 5 billion ($60 million) to support innovation in the rooftop solar segment under the country’s flagship rooftop solar (RTS) scheme PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, for which it has invited stakeholder consultation.   

The Innovative Projects component of the scheme targets to demonstrate innovative solar technologies, applications, or integration techniques to boost rooftop solar adoption in the country. Some of the examples are blockchain-based peer-to-peer RTS, digital solutions for RTS, smart building materials, RTS with EVs, grid-responsive RTS with battery storage solutions, DISCOM IT systems for RTS management, etc.  

It will specifically aim to:  

• identify and fund new innovations in business models and technical deployments of rooftop solar 

• support startups and institutions to conduct collaborative pilots, proof-of-concepts and scaling up of new business models in order to generate new technologies, rooftop solar products and associated innovations 

• support interventions that can provide new pathways for the deployment of distributed renewable energy for households and companies, and to create technological and management tools for DISCOMs to better manage distributed energy resources within their grids, and  

• support incorporation of cutting-edge technology in real-life rooftop solar/distributed RE deployments.

The proposals can be submitted by any entity or individual, or an international cooperation for taking up joint research and design.   

Winning projects will be eligible to secure up to 60% of the total project cost or INR 300 million ($3.5 million), whichever is lower. On an annual basis, there will be prizes for such innovative projects or startups with a citation and a cash prize of INR 10 million, INR 5 million, and INR 3 million for the 3 winning projects, along with 10 consolation prizes of INR 500,000.   

The National Institute for Solar Energy (NISE) will be the Scheme Implementation Agency (SIA) to ensure periodic progress review of the projects.  

Interested stakeholders can submit their feedback to the Innovative Projects draft guidelines until September 23, 2024, according to the MNRE call.    

The government launched the scheme early this year with a INR 750 billion outlay with a promise of households getting up to 300 units of free electricity/month by installing rooftop solar systems, and earning by selling excess energy to discoms (see India Eyeing 30 GW Rooftop Solar Capacity With New Scheme).