The Delhi government on Tuesday approved a revised Delhi Solar Energy Policy, enabling residential households that consume up to 400 units of electricity per month to install rooftop solar systems of up to 3 kW at zero upfront cost. After accounting for available central and state subsidies, the Delhi government will cover the remaining installation expenses, making rooftop solar more accessible to eligible households.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government aims to install rooftop solar systems in 2.3 lakh households by March 2027, adding 500 MW of rooftop solar capacity during the period.
“Our target is not only to reduce people’s electricity bills but also to support the installation cost of solar panels. The government will provide free rooftop solar panels to all households with monthly electricity consumption of 400 units or above. The facility will benefit people who could not install rooftop solar panels earlier due to high upfront cost,” the chief minister said at the press conference.
The initiative is aimed at addressing key hurdles that had slowed the uptake of the Centre’s PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, particularly the high initial cost of installation.
Under the revised policy, the financial benefit will be provided upfront at the time of installation rather than through incentives spread over five years. Selected vendors will also provide free operation and maintenance for five years, while application and registration charges for residential solar systems have been waived.
The government has also reduced the time taken for residential net metering from around 75 days to 25 days, allowing households to feed surplus solar power into the grid under applicable arrangements. Implementation will be carried out through competitive bidding by IPGCL.
“The government has set a target to install solar panels in 2.30 lakh households across Delhi by March 2027. This is a big announcement for our government’s ‘Green Delhi’ initiative,” she said. Gupta said the government’s broader objective was to turn households from electricity consumers into producers by encouraging solar generation on suitable rooftops across the city.
She said the government had already begun installing solar systems on government buildings and was working on solutions for households without suitable rooftop space.
Delhi currently has 10,073 solar installations, with a substantial share located on government buildings. The existing electricity subsidy will remain in place alongside the rooftop solar benefits, enabling eligible households to avail themselves of both schemes.
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