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Rooftop solar subsidy in Maharashtra

The central subsidy every home can claim, the state SMART top-up for poorer and low-use households, how MSEDCL settles your surplus units, and what to check before you pay a vendor.

Last updated: 16 October 2026 · Luminity

A Maharashtra household that puts solar panels on its roof can draw on two pots of money. The first is the central PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy, open to any eligible residential consumer in the country. The second is Maharashtra’s own Swayampurna Maharashtra Aawasiya Roof Top (SMART) solar scheme, which adds a state share, but only for below-poverty-line (BPL) homes and economically weaker homes that use under 100 units a month. Most middle-income homes get the central subsidy alone.

As on 16 October 2026: central subsidy ₹30,000 per kW up to 2 kW plus ₹18,000 for the third kW (maximum ₹78,000). SMART state share on a 1 kW system: ₹17,500 (BPL), ₹15,000 (SC/ST) or ₹10,000 (other eligible low-use homes), per the GR of 6 October 2025, with the scheme running until March 2027. Figures can change; the amount on your MSEDCL estimate or national-portal application is the one that counts.

Layer one: the central PM Surya Ghar subsidy

Maharashtra is a general-category state for PM Surya Ghar, so it gets the standard central rates. As on 16 October 2026, and with effect from 13 February 2024, the Centre pays ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kilowatt. Nothing more is paid above 3 kW, so the most a single home can receive is ₹78,000. Housing societies get ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities, within a 500 kW cap. MSEDCL’s own rooftop portal lists the same figures.

The money is paid after the plant is installed, inspected and approved, not upfront, and the modules must be made in India from Indian cells. Our PM Surya Ghar guide covers eligibility, the e-token process and the documents in detail; the rest of this page deals with what is specific to Maharashtra.

Layer two: the SMART scheme

The state government approved SMART through a Government Resolution of the Industries, Energy, Labour and Mining Department dated 6 October 2025, following a cabinet decision of 3 July 2025. Its stated aims are to make poorer households self-reliant for electricity, give them extra income from surplus solar power, and add rooftop capacity in the state. MSEDCL (Mahavitaran) is the implementing agency.

Who it is for: about 1,54,622 BPL domestic consumers and about 3,45,378 economically weaker domestic consumers using under 100 units a month, 5,00,000 homes in all.
Budget: ₹330 crore for 2025-26 and ₹325 crore for 2026-27, a total of ₹655 crore from the state.
System: a 1 kW rooftop plant installed by suppliers selected through an MSEDCL head-office tender, checked by MSEDCL after installation.
Equipment: India-made, IEC-certified (or equivalent) modules as under PM Surya Ghar, supplied with RFID tags.
Maintenance: the supplier is responsible for five years of maintenance and repair after installation.
Duration: until March 2027, with priority for remote areas such as Melghat, Nandurbar and Gadchiroli.

How the cost is split

The GR sets the state’s share as a percentage of the benchmark cost per kilowatt, and works an example on an assumed benchmark of ₹50,000 per kW. The central ₹30,000 is the PM Surya Ghar subsidy for the first kilowatt.

Household group (1 kW system)	State share	State (₹)	Centre (₹)	Household pays (₹)
Below poverty line	35%	17,500	30,000	2,500
Scheduled Caste, under 100 units a month	30%	15,000	30,000	5,000
Scheduled Tribe, under 100 units a month	30%	15,000	30,000	5,000
Other economically weaker, under 100 units a month	20%	10,000	30,000	10,000

That is a combined subsidy of 95%, 90% or 80% of the assumed cost. The ₹50,000 figure is the GR’s worked example; MERC’s August 2026 order records a discovered rate of ₹45,450 per kW from MSEDCL’s vendor tender, while keeping the same household contributions in MSEDCL’s cost table. Go by the demand note MSEDCL issues you.

Who qualifies

The GR lists these conditions:

A valid domestic electricity connection.
No other subsidy already taken by the family for a rooftop solar system.
Registration on the national PM Surya Ghar portal.
No unpaid electricity dues.
Consumption of not more than 100 units in any month of 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
A single-phase connection. Three-phase consumers are not eligible.

All BPL consumers are to be served first. Other eligible households are served first come, first served, and the GR let MSEDCL’s chairman shift unused BPL quota to other 0-100 unit consumers if BPL sign-ups stayed below 1,54,622 by December 2025. Local reports describe the eligibility window slightly differently, so check your own consumption history on your bill or the MSEDCL app before applying.

The 2026 roll-out: utility-led aggregation

In 2026 MSEDCL folded SMART into the Centre’s utility-led aggregation (ULA) route under PM Surya Ghar, in which the distribution company aggregates households and has empanelled vendors install the systems. According to MERC’s order of 19 August 2026 in Case No. 184 of 2026:

MNRE gave in-principle approval on 27 July 2026 for 2,11,206 households, about 211 MW, and made final sanction conditional on the state regulator’s approval.
The batch covers 1,27,362 BPL households and 83,844 SC/ST (economically weaker) households, each getting a 1 kWp system, installed by 43 vendors empanelled through a tender.
The estimated project cost is ₹959.93 crore, with the household contribution kept within the 10% ceiling in MNRE’s ULA guidelines (₹2,500 for BPL and ₹5,000 for SC/ST homes in MSEDCL’s table).
Systems are installed individually under MERC’s 2019 rooftop regulations, with data loggers, minimum generation criteria and five years of maintenance by the vendor.
Completion is targeted by 31 March 2027. MERC allowed the model and told MSEDCL to finish on time, noting that MNRE’s approval says central assistance will not be available if the timelines are missed.

Demand has been strong in places. The Live Nagpur reported on 31 August 2026 that 28,884 consumers in MSEDCL’s Nagpur circle had applied, that estimates had been prepared for 16,932 of them, and that once the fixed quota fills, applicants may not be able to pay even if an estimate has been generated. If you receive an estimate, paying promptly matters.

How MSEDCL net metering works

Rooftop systems connected to MSEDCL’s network are governed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grid Interactive Rooftop Renewable Energy Generating Systems) Regulations, 2019. The points that matter most for a household:

Size: at least 1 kW, and no more than your sanctioned load (kW) or contract demand (kVA). If you want a bigger plant, the load has to be raised first.
Transformer limit: cumulative rooftop capacity on a distribution transformer is capped at 70% of its rating, unless MSEDCL allows more after a load study. Applications are handled transformer by transformer, first come, first served.
Settlement: exported units offset imported units each billing cycle and carry forward within the financial year. Credit still unused at the end of the financial year is bought by MSEDCL at the generic tariff MERC approves for that year, within the first month of the next year, and the count then resets to zero.
Charges: the regulations set a registration fee of ₹500 for low-tension consumers with sanctioned load up to 20 kW (the Commission can change it through MSEDCL’s schedule of charges), and exempt consumers with sanctioned load up to 10 kW from grid support charges on net-metered systems.
Meter: the regulations say the existing meter is replaced by a net meter at the consumer’s cost; under PM Surya Ghar and ULA installations, ask whether the vendor or MSEDCL’s smart-meter agency provides it.

MERC’s regulations page also lists a practice direction of 30 June 2026 waiving the requirement of a separate net metering agreement, which should mean less paperwork at commissioning.

Time-of-day tariffs and banking

MERC’s multi-year tariff order of 28 March 2025 introduced time-of-day tariffs for residential consumers with smart meters, with a rebate for daytime use, and was reported at the time as leaving net-metered rooftop consumers free to adjust their banked solar units. The rules on banking were then litigated: a June 2025 review order was set aside by the Bombay High Court, the Supreme Court directed a fresh review, and MERC issued its final order on 25 March 2026, with revised banking rules effective from 1 July 2025. Much of that dispute concerned open-access and commercial users. For a home system, check how your bill shows imported, exported and banked units, and ask MSEDCL which time-of-day rules apply to your meter.

How many homes have gone solar

MSEDCL’s i-SMART portal showed these counters on 16 October 2026 (they update continuously):

MSEDCL portal counter (16 Oct 2026)	Consumers	Capacity (MW)
PM Surya Ghar, simplified procedure	8,36,057	3,172.08
PM Surya Ghar + SMART	1,267	1.27
All rooftop solar consumers on MSEDCL’s network	10,84,237	7,127.77

The last row covers every rooftop solar consumer on MSEDCL’s network, not only homes. The GR records Maharashtra’s PM Surya Ghar target as 8.75 lakh homes.

How to apply

For the central subsidy only

Register on pmsuryaghar.gov.in with your MSEDCL consumer number, or start on MSEDCL’s i-SMART rooftop portal.
Choose a vendor empanelled for PM Surya Ghar and agree the design and full price in writing.
After installation, MSEDCL inspects and commissions the plant with a net meter; the central subsidy is then released to your bank account.

For SMART

Check that you qualify: single-phase connection, no month over 100 units in the reference period, no arrears, no earlier rooftop subsidy.
Apply through MSEDCL’s rooftop application page, where the SMART option is offered, and register on the national portal as the GR requires.
When MSEDCL issues the estimate (demand note) for your share, pay it promptly; slots are limited.
MSEDCL’s empanelled vendor installs the 1 kW system, MSEDCL inspects it, and the vendor maintains it for five years.

MSEDCL’s listed helplines are 1800-212-3435 and 1800-233-3435.

Common pitfalls

Counting on a state top-up you do not qualify for. SMART is not a general Maharashtra subsidy. A vendor quoting “central plus state” to a three-phase or high-use household is wrong.
One high month. Under the GR, a single month above 100 units in the reference year is enough to rule a household out.
Arrears. Clear unpaid bills before applying; the GR requires a consumer with no dues.
Oversizing. Net metering stops at your sanctioned load, and the central subsidy stops growing at 3 kW.
Paying an agent for “registration”. The PM Surya Ghar guidelines describe no fee for the national-portal application. Any fee MSEDCL charges under its own rules is paid through MSEDCL’s system, not to a middleman.
Old figures. Rates on forwarded messages and older articles (including MSEDCL’s Phase II price tables) may not match today’s scheme. The estimate in your name is what counts.

Questions people ask

How much subsidy does a Maharashtra household get for rooftop solar?

Every eligible residential consumer can claim the central PM Surya Ghar subsidy: as on 16 October 2026, ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, capped at ₹78,000. Maharashtra adds a state top-up only under the SMART scheme, which is limited to below-poverty-line households and low-use (under 100 units a month) economically weaker households on single-phase connections.

What does the SMART scheme pay?

The Government Resolution of 6 October 2025 sets the state share at 35% of the benchmark cost for BPL households, 30% for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households and 20% for other economically weaker households using under 100 units a month. On a ₹50,000 benchmark for a 1 kW system, that is ₹17,500, ₹15,000 and ₹10,000 from the state, on top of ₹30,000 from the Centre, leaving the household ₹2,500, ₹5,000 or ₹10,000.

Who qualifies for SMART?

Under the GR: a valid domestic connection with MSEDCL, no arrears, no other rooftop solar subsidy taken by the family, registration on the national portal, a single-phase connection, and consumption that did not exceed 100 units in any month between October 2024 and September 2025. BPL households get priority; others are served first come, first served.

How big is the SMART system?

1 kW. The GR says empanelled suppliers selected through an MSEDCL tender install 1 kW rooftop systems, and MERC’s August 2026 order describes the approved batch as 2,11,206 individual 1 kWp installations.

Is there a state subsidy for a normal middle-income home in Maharashtra?

Not under the SMART GR, which is limited to BPL and low-use economically weaker households. Other homes get the central subsidy only, and pay the rest of the vendor’s price.

What happens to surplus units under MSEDCL net metering?

Under MERC’s 2019 rooftop regulations, exported units are netted against units imported in each billing cycle and carried forward within the financial year. Credit left unadjusted at the end of the financial year is bought by the distribution company at the generic tariff MERC approves for that year, paid within the first month of the next year.

Can I install more than my sanctioned load?

Not under net metering. The 2019 regulations cap the system at the sanctioned load (kW) or contract demand (kVA), with a 1 kW minimum, and limit cumulative rooftop capacity on a distribution transformer to 70% of its rating unless a load study allows more.

I live in Mumbai. Does this apply?

The central subsidy applies to any eligible residential consumer, whichever distribution company supplies you, and you apply on the national portal. The SMART scheme is implemented by MSEDCL, and its eligibility is written around MSEDCL consumers; if BEST, Adani Electricity or Tata Power supplies your home, ask your supplier whether any state top-up applies before you count on it.

Sources

SMART scheme shares, eligibility, budget, duration and implementation rules are from the Government of Maharashtra GR No. 2025/C.R.35/Urja-7 of 6 October 2025. The ULA figures (2,11,206 households, 43 vendors, ₹45,450 per kW, ₹959.93 crore, 31 March 2027) are from MERC’s order of 19 August 2026 in Case No. 184 of 2026, which summarises MSEDCL’s petition and MNRE’s office memorandum of 27 July 2026. Net metering rules are from MERC’s 2019 rooftop regulations. Installation counters are from MSEDCL’s i-SMART portal as viewed on 16 October 2026. Central rates are as in our PM Surya Ghar guide.

Related reporting is on the solar and policy pages. If a number here disagrees with MSEDCL or the national portal, theirs wins. Corrections: [email protected].