India Eyes RWAs to Boost Rooftop Solar in Apartment Complexes

As part of a nationwide strategy to enhance rooftop solar energy deployment, resident welfare associations are emerging as crucial allies for the government. The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is specifically designed to cater to apartment complexes and cooperative housing societies, unlocking renewable energy avenues in urban locales where individual roof spaces are limited.

New Delhi: Resident welfare associations (RWAs) may emerge as the government’s next big lever to accelerate rooftop solar adoption, with policymakers looking to apartment complexes to unlock capacity that individual households cannot access because of shared rooftops, people aware of the development said.

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is expected to increasingly focus on RWAs and group housing societies as the government looks to scale up installations in urban areas.

Launched in February 2024, the scheme aims to facilitate rooftop solar installations in 10 million households by FY27, with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore.

Centre looks to tap potential in apartment complexes for scaling up urban rooftop solar installations

Discussions are at an early stage to explore whether dedicated loan products can be introduced for RWAs to install rooftop solar systems, one of the persons said.

Under the scheme, group housing societies and RWAs receive subsidies of Rs 18,000 per kW for common facilities, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure, up to a capacity of 500 kW and capped at 3 kW per house. Large housing societies remain a significant untapped market because a single installation can cater to the electricity needs of multiple households as well as common facilities.

The scheme seeks to promote rooftop solar adoption as part of India’s clean energy push.

Limited Individual Rooftops

The scheme seeks to help households reduce electricity bills and expanding distributed renewable energy capacity. The proposed focus on RWAs is expected to accelerate installations, particularly in urban areas where individual rooftop availability is limited.

As of May 19, about 3.2 million rooftop solar installations had been completed, while nearly 3.9 million households had benefited, according to the scheme’s national portal.