If you live in Maharashtra and pay an MSEDCL electricity bill, the central government will pay for a large share of your rooftop solar system through the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The money is not a discount, a loan, or a tax rebate — it is transferred directly into your bank account after your system is commissioned.
This guide explains exactly how much you get, who qualifies, which documents you need, and what actually happens at each stage of the application. It is written from what we see day to day as an MSEDCL-registered installer processing these applications across Raigad district.
The scheme pays a fixed amount per kilowatt, not a percentage of whatever your installer charges. That matters: a higher quote does not get you a higher subsidy.
| System size | Central subsidy | Typically suits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kW | ₹30,000 | Bills up to ~₹800/month |
| 2 kW | ₹60,000 | Bills of ₹1,000–₹1,800/month |
| 3 kW and above | ₹78,000 (maximum) | Bills of ₹2,000+/month |
The structure behind those numbers is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW, then ₹18,000 per kW for the third. The subsidy stops at 3 kW. If you install a 5 kW or 10 kW system, you still receive ₹78,000 — the extra capacity is entirely at your own cost. This is the single most misunderstood part of the scheme, and it is worth sizing your system with it in mind.
The qualifying bar is deliberately low, but every condition has to be met:
That last point is not a formality. A system installed by an unregistered vendor cannot be retro-fitted into the scheme. If the vendor is not on the MSEDCL list at the time of installation, the subsidy is simply lost, and we regularly meet homeowners who found this out after paying in full.
Two details cause most of the delays we see. First, the name on the electricity bill and the name on the bank account should match. Where they don't — a bill still in a late parent's name is the common case — sort the connection transfer out before applying, not after. Second, the mobile number you register with must be one you can actually receive OTPs on, because the portal uses it at several stages.
Registration happens at pmsuryaghar.gov.in. You select your state and DISCOM, enter your electricity consumer number, and verify with your mobile number and email.
Log in with your consumer number and submit the rooftop solar application form with your proposed system size.
MSEDCL checks whether your connection and local distribution network can support the system. Nothing should be installed before this clears — installing early is a risk you carry yourself.
Once feasibility is approved, your registered vendor installs the system. This is the stage where component quality matters: use DCR-compliant panels and an inverter on the approved list, or the inspection can fail.
After installation you submit the net meter application through the portal, with the plant details and installation certificate.
MSEDCL inspects the installation and fits a bidirectional net meter that records both the electricity you draw and the surplus you export.
After a successful inspection, the portal generates your commissioning certificate. This is the document the subsidy is released against.
You upload your bank details and a cancelled cheque. The subsidy is then credited by direct bank transfer, typically within about 30 days of the commissioning certificate — though in practice this varies with how busy the local office is.
Prices move with panel and inverter rates, so treat these as indicative rather than a quotation. As a rough guide for a standard residential rooftop system in Raigad, a 3 kW system commonly lands somewhere in the ₹1.7–2.1 lakh range before subsidy. Subtract ₹78,000 and the effective outlay is meaningfully lower — and against a ₹2,500 monthly bill, most households we install for recover that within roughly four to five years, against panels warranted for 25.
Ask any installer for a written quotation that separates panel make and wattage, inverter make, mounting structure, cabling and protection, and installation labour. A single lump-sum figure makes it impossible to compare quotes, and it is usually hiding something.
Log in to pmsuryaghar.gov.in with your registered consumer number and mobile number. The dashboard shows which stage your application has reached — feasibility, installation, inspection, commissioning, or subsidy release. If it has been sitting at one stage for more than a few weeks, that is worth chasing with your local MSEDCL office rather than waiting.
Raigad's coastal belt puts real demands on a rooftop system. Salt-laden air near Alibaug, Shrivardhan and Mhasala accelerates corrosion, so mounting structures should be properly galvanised rather than plain painted steel. Heavy monsoon rain makes cable routing and junction box sealing more important than they would be inland. And systems here should be specified with wind loading in mind.
None of this changes your subsidy entitlement — but it changes considerably how long the system lasts, and it is where cheap quotes usually cut corners.
Swara Solar is MNRE empanelled and MSEDCL approved, and we process the entire PM Surya Ghar application on behalf of our customers at no extra charge — portal registration, feasibility follow-up, net metering paperwork, inspection coordination, and the final subsidy claim. If you would rather do the paperwork yourself, everything above is what you need.
For a specific figure for your roof and your bill, see our PM Surya Ghar subsidy page, or read our breakdown of what solar actually costs in Raigad.