PM Surya Ghar subsidy in Punjab

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is the central government’s scheme for rooftop solar on homes. It pays a fixed subsidy per kW, called central financial assistance, to households that install a grid-connected system through the national portal, pmsuryaghar.gov.in. In Punjab, PSPCL is the distribution company that approves and inspects your system.

What the subsidy is worth

The subsidy stops rising at 3 kW. Every kW above that is paid for in full, which is why 3 kW is the size people ask about most. It isn’t always the right size, though. In Punjab the free-units rule often makes a smaller system the better buy.

You pay first. The subsidy comes later.

Many buyers expect the subsidy to come off the invoice. You actually pay the installer the full system cost. Once PSPCL has fitted the net meter and inspected the system, the portal issues a commissioning certificate. You then submit your bank details, and the subsidy arrives by direct transfer, typically 30 to 45 days later.

So budget for the full amount. If you are borrowing, read the section on loans further down.

Who qualifies

• You are an Indian household with an electricity connection in your own name.
• You own the house, and the roof is suitable: shade-free for most of the day and strong enough for the mounting structure.
• The system is grid-connected with a net meter.
• The panels are DCR and ALMM-listed.
• The system is no larger than your sanctioned load.
• You have not already received a rooftop solar subsidy on the same connection.

How the 300 free units change the maths in Punjab

Punjab gives domestic consumers 300 free units a month (600 on a two-month bill). That changes who should buy solar, and what size.

If you use 300 units a month or less, your bill is already zero. Solar has nothing to save, with or without the subsidy, and we will tell you so before quoting anything.

If you use more, the rule works in solar’s favour. A general-category home that crosses 300 units is charged for every unit it used, from the first one, plus fixed charges and duty. On the FY 2026-27 tariff, a home at 320 units a month pays about ₹2,000. Our smallest on-grid system, 3 kW, brings net use under 300 and takes the bill to zero for any home up to about 600 units a month. For most homes in that range, 3 kW is the right size, whatever the roof could hold.

SC, BC, non-SC BPL and Freedom Fighter households pay only for units above 300, so for them the saving is the cost of those extra units.

There is one detail to confirm for your connection. All of this assumes PSPCL counts the 300 free units against your net units after solar, and we check that against real post-solar bills before we quote.

How to claim the subsidy, step by step

1. Register on pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Choose Punjab and PSPCL, then enter the consumer number from your bill, your mobile number and your email.
2. Apply for rooftop solar. PSPCL checks technical feasibility, and nothing should be installed before that approval comes through.
3. Install with a vendor registered on the portal, using DCR panels from the ALMM list.
4. Submit the plant details and apply for the net meter. Photos, panel and inverter serial numbers and installation details all go on the portal.
5. PSPCL fits the bi-directional net meter and inspects the system, and the portal issues the commissioning certificate.
6. Submit your bank details with a cancelled cheque or passbook copy. The subsidy is paid into that account.

Documents you will usually need

• A recent electricity bill showing the consumer number and sanctioned load
• Aadhaar card
• Proof of ownership of the house
• A bank account in the applicant’s name, with the passbook or a cancelled cheque
• A mobile number and email address you can get to during the process
• Photos of the roof and, after installation, of the system

Why applications get rejected

Most rejections come down to a handful of avoidable mistakes.

• Panels that aren’t DCR or aren’t on the ALMM list. Inspection checks the module model, and a panel that isn’t listed means no subsidy. It can’t be fixed after installation.
• A system larger than the sanctioned load. If you need more capacity, get load enhancement from PSPCL first and apply after that.
• Bank details that don’t match. The account has to be in the applicant’s name and active for direct transfer, and any mismatch between the names on the bill, the application and the bank account holds up payment.
• A connection or house that isn’t in the applicant’s name. If the bill is still in a late parent’s name, for example, have the connection transferred first.
• Installing before feasibility approval, or using a vendor who isn’t registered on the portal.
• Incomplete uploads. Missing photos or serial numbers stall the application at the commissioning stage.

Paying for it: financing options

You don’t have to pay the whole amount from savings. Public-sector banks offer collateral-free solar loans at a concessional rate for home systems up to 3 kW under PM Surya Ghar, so start by asking your own bank for its current rate and terms. We can also put you in touch with the partner financiers we work with. Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll tell you who they are at the moment.

Each financier sets its own eligibility rules, so we can’t promise approval or a rate in advance. Keep in mind that you repay the loan in full. The subsidy goes into your bank account separately and is never set against the loan.

Buying without the subsidy

The subsidy route means paperwork and a wait for the bank transfer, and some customers would rather pay one price and be done with it.

A system bought this way doesn’t have to use DCR, ALMM-listed panels. In some cases that brings the upfront cost below what an equivalent subsidy-eligible system costs before its subsidy is credited. Whether it works out cheaper overall depends on the exact system and panels, so we don’t quote a fixed saving here. Ask us for a side-by-side price on your system, with and without the subsidy.

Hybrid and off-grid systems

PM Surya Ghar covers grid-connected, net-metered systems. If power cuts are your main problem and you want batteries, a hybrid system still qualifies: it stays connected to PSPCL with a battery added, and RSK Solar Energy’s hybrid installs get the same subsidy as on-grid. Off-grid has no grid connection at all, so budget for it without the subsidy. See on-grid vs off-grid vs hybrid for how the three compare.