Know All about National Portal for Rooftop Solar

The Prime Minister launched the National Portal for Rooftop Solar to make the subsidy application and payment process easier for individual consumers and households. Now, instead of manually filling and submitting a form with your local DISCOM and following up endlessly for updates, you can use the new online mechanism for smoother processing. 

The new online mechanism enables you to apply for solar subsidy online on the national portal under the simplified procedure (issued by the MNRE under its Rooftop Solar Program Phase-II) and also enables online tracking of rooftop solar system installations.

The rooftop solar installation portal can be seen as a major step toward realising the nation’s solar rooftop potential and its target to produce 500 GW of clean energy.

How will the National Portal benefit Customers?

The national portal for rooftop solar provides a unified online platform for consumers to apply online for the installation of rooftop solar plants and avail solar subsidy benefits. The portal will enable the applicants to easily track the progress of their grid-connected solar system installation project, starting from applying to get solar for home to the final installation and inspection of the plant and releasing the subsidy amount in the beneficiary’s bank account thereupon.

The simplified subsidy program – now empowered with the Indian portal for solar installations – has redefined the entire residential solar subsidy programme for consumers. By doing away with the implementation challenges associated with the offline subsidy scheme, the simplified program will certainly accelerate solar installation among households.

Subsidy Rates Under the Simplified Procedure

Depending on the rooftop solar system capacity approved for your home after the inspection, you can expect to receive the following Central Financial Assistance (CFA)/Central Government Subsidy amount through the online portal for solar. The national simplified subsidy scheme has created fixed subsidy slabs applicable on all grid-interactive rooftop solar installations across India. The applicable subsidy amount for solar is to be notified every year and will be made available to everyone registering on th national portal. One of the major changes in the subsidy schemes is for anyone installing solar for capacities above 10kW. Earlier, there was no subsidy for solar systems above 10 kW. 

Note: Your CFA/subsidy application submitted on the national portal for rooftop solar will be approved upon the clearance of your RTS (rooftop solar system) and the metering system by the inspecting authority. 

*Only the online application for solar subsidy received by December 31, 2024, will be processed as per the subsidy rates mentioned above in this calendar year.

The Process for Rooftop Solar System Installation under Simplified Procedure

Consumers planning to get an on-grid solar plant at subsidised rates can avail subsidy benefits under the simplified procedure by applying through the national portal for rooftop solar. Firstly, download the SANDES app and register on the national portal by selecting your local DISCOM and providing your electricity connection number/consumer number (find it on the monthly electricity bill). You will also need an active phone number and an active email id for OTP authentication.

Once you have successfully registered on the national portal, follow these steps to submit your application for installing an on-grid solar system under the national simplified solar subsidy scheme.

Step 1 – Fill out your online application using your basic details like the name on the electricity bill, address, and the proposed rooftop solar system capacity. You must disclose the same if you have an existing rooftop solar system capacity installed. Upon hitting the submit button, you will receive a copy of your application to your email id. It will also be accessible through your account on the national portal. 

Step 2 – Your selected DISCOM will receive the application to verify the technical feasibility of the proposed RTS installation as per the prevailing regulations. You are advised to wait for the feasibility approval from DISCOM before initiating the installation. The status (approval or rejection, as may be the case) will be notified to you via email. You can also use the portal for the online tracking of your solar application.

Step 3 – Once you receive your technical feasibility approval, you can proceed with your RTS (rooftop solar system) installation. To be eligible for the solar subsidy, you must have the installation completed from any of the vendors registered/empanelled with DISCOM. The MNRE has outlined a set of technical specifications and standards to be followed in all rooftop solar system installations. You have the option of selecting solar components of higher quality/efficiency. The subsidy scheme requires homeowners to choose from only the domestically-manufactured solar modules (which use made-in-India solar cells). To that end, you can use the ALMM list to choose from the Approved Models & Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Modules. In addition, make sure to buy only the BIS-certified solar inverter for your RTS (rooftop solar system).

The national portal for rooftop solar also asks the applicants to sign the model agreement prepared by the MNRE with their chosen vendor to protect their interests as consumers.

Moreover, the empanelled/registered vendors are also obligated to provide comprehensive maintenance on the RTS (rooftop solar system) plants installed by them for at least five years.

Step 4 – Once the installation is finished, you will need to submit the relevant documents related to completing your RTS (rooftop solar system) installation on the national portal for rooftop solar for net-metering and system approval. The details required include wattage, make and wattage of the inverter, make and numbers of solar modules, name of the vendor that has installed the system, photographs of the RTS system, etc. You will also need to submit an application for net metering, which will be sent to DISCOM. Follow DISCOM’s instructions for signing the net-metering agreement, paying net-metering charges, etc., as applicable. Make sure to regularly check the national portal for the online tracking of your solar installation.

Step 5 – The DISCOM officials will complete the net metering installation and also perform a physical inspection of the installed RTS (rooftop solar system) to ensure that minimum technical specifications and standards are honoured.

Step 6 – Upon successfully inspecting your RTS (rooftop solar system) plant and installing the net metering system, you will receive a commissioning certificate generated online on the national portal by DISCOM.

Step 7 – The final step requires you to provide your bank details and a copy of the cancelled cheque. The fund handling agency associated with the national portal for rooftop solar will send the central Government subsidy amount directly into the bank account. You can refer to the national portal to discover the central Government subsidy rates applicable for the calendar year you intend to install your on-grid rooftop solar system.

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