Solar for Housing Societies & RWAs in Delhi-NCR

Direct answer

A housing society's common-area load — lifts, pumps, corridor lighting, CCTV, STP — can run on rooftop solar with a central subsidy of ₹18,000 per kW under PM Surya Ghar, up to 500 kW. In Delhi, societies additionally get a state top-up of ₹11,000 per kW. For a typical NCR society, a 25–100 kW plant on the common-area connection pays back in roughly 3–5 years after subsidy, with monthly savings of ₹15,000–₹1 lakh+ depending on size and tariff.

TL;DR: The scheme is working at scale — 19,000+ RWAs and group housing societies across India have already installed 278+ MW with ₹422 crore of subsidy disbursed (September 2026). The first 500 kW high-rise society plant in Gautam Buddha Nagar (Arihant Arden, Greater Noida West, June 2026) recovered ₹80 lakh of its ₹90 lakh subsidy within 30 days of commissioning.

Why common-area solar is the easy win

A mid-size society's common services run 24/7 — lifts and pumps in the morning, corridor and parking lighting at night — producing monthly common-area electricity bills of ₹50,000 to ₹3,00,000. Solar on the tower roofs and podium offsets those units at your DISCOM's tariff, which in NCR runs ₹8–10 per unit for most residential categories. Because common-area connections are usually large relative to the roof available, plants of 25–100 kW fit without touching individual flats' arrangements.

The process is standardised: apply on the PM Surya Ghar national portal under the Group Housing Society / RWA category using your common-area connection number, get a DISCOM feasibility check, install through a registered vendor, and the subsidy lands in the society's bank account via DBT — typically within days of commissioning approval.

Subsidy arithmetic for RWAs and group housing societies

Under the PM Surya Ghar guidelines, a GHS/RWA gets ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities including EV charging, up to 500 kW — but the eligible capacity is capped at 3 kW per household in the society. Two official worked examples:

• RWA with 100 kW plant and 20 member households → subsidy-eligible capacity is 60 kW (3 kW × 20) → CFA of ₹10.8 lakh.
• RWA with 100 kW plant and 50 member households → full 100 kW eligible → CFA of ₹18 lakh.

Practical implication: the society's member count, not the plant size, usually caps the subsidy. A 500 kW plant needs roughly 167 households to be fully CFA-eligible. Note the ₹18,000/kW slab replaces (not stacks with) the residential ₹30,000–78,000 slabs — those apply to individual household systems, which residents can still pursue separately on their own meters.

Delhi adds a state top-up: the Delhi Solar Portal lists a capital subsidy of ₹11,000 per kW for GHS/RWA common-area plants (capped at the gap between plant cost per kW and the PM Surya Ghar subsidy per kW, discovered through IPGCL bidding). Haryana and UP do not currently top up the central subsidy for common-area plants — Haryana's state subsidy is limited to income-tested EWS/Antyodaya households.

Net metering rules: Delhi vs Haryana vs UP

The regulatory treatment of a society's common-area connection differs across NCR, and it changes the economics:

Two 2026 changes worth knowing: DERC's second net-metering amendment of 2026 introduced deemed feasibility approval up to 10 kW and connectivity within 10–25 days, and DHBVN's August 2026 circular lets applicants defer net-meter and load-enhancement charges to the first bill after commissioning — easing upfront cash flow for societies in Gurugram and Faridabad.

The UP caution: if your society's common-area connection is in a non-domestic (commercial) category, net metering may not be available — only net billing, where exports earn far less. Confirm the connection category before approving the project economics; in Delhi and Haryana, standard net metering applies to common areas.

What it costs and what it saves

Market rates for society-scale plants run roughly ₹42,000–65,000 per kW depending on size (smaller systems cost more per kW). A worked example for a 40-flat society:

• Common-area consumption: ~3,200 units/month
• Plant: 25–50 kW on tower roofs
• Central subsidy: ₹4.5–9 lakh (subject to the 3 kW/household cap)
• Savings: ₹14,000–18,000/month at ₹8–10 per unit
• Payback: roughly 3–5 years post-subsidy

The Greater Noida benchmark shows the ceiling: Arihant Arden's 500 kW plant cost ₹2.3 crore, attracted ₹90 lakh of central CFA, and is projected to save ₹40–45 lakh a year on common-area bills across 1,519 flats.

For societies that cannot or prefer not to deploy capital, RESCO-style arrangements — where a developer owns the plant and the society buys power per unit under a long-term agreement — are available in Delhi (with model documents on the Delhi Solar Portal) and permitted in Haryana and UP. The trade-off: the society forgoes the subsidy and inherits a 15–25 year tariff commitment, so read the escalation clause against expected grid tariff growth before signing.

The RWA decision checklist

1. General body resolution authorising the project and appointing a signatory — most societies also want a member-consent threshold written into the resolution.
2. Gather documents: society registration, latest common-area electricity bills, roof-ownership proof, connection category confirmation.
3. Check the subsidy cap: households × 3 kW vs planned plant size — design to the smaller number or accept a lower blended CFA.
4. Apply on pmsuryaghar.gov.in under the GHS/RWA route; the DISCOM feasibility check validates transformer capacity and sanctioned load.
5. Verify your state's metering model (table above) — especially in UP, where connection category decides net metering vs net billing.
6. Choose CAPEX vs RESCO: capital-rich societies keep the subsidy and the savings; others may prefer zero-investment models, understanding the long-term tariff commitment.
7. Size to ~80% of annual common-area consumption — NCR plants generate roughly 1,400–1,600 units per kW a year; oversizing means exporting surplus at low credit rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much subsidy does a housing society get for solar in India?

Under PM Surya Ghar, RWAs and group housing societies get ₹18,000 per kW for common-facility solar plants up to 500 kW, with eligible capacity capped at 3 kW per member household. In Delhi, a state top-up of ₹11,000 per kW may additionally apply. Individual residents installing on their own meters claim the residential slabs (₹30,000–78,000) separately.

Is solar worth it for an RWA in Delhi NCR?

Yes, for most societies with meaningful common-area loads. A 25–100 kW plant typically saves ₹15,000 to ₹1 lakh a month against NCR tariffs of ₹8–10 per unit, with payback of 3–5 years after the central subsidy. The Arihant Arden case in Greater Noida projects ₹40–45 lakh a year in savings on a ₹2.3 crore plant with ₹90 lakh subsidy.

Can a housing society apply for PM Surya Ghar subsidy?

Yes. Societies apply on the national portal under the Group Housing Society/RWA category using the common-area connection number. The subsidy is paid by DBT to the society's bank account after commissioning and inspection.

What is the difference between net metering and virtual net metering for societies?

Net metering adjusts exports against the same service connection's consumption. Group Net Metering (GNM) lets a society with multiple common-area meters net them together, and Virtual Net Metering (VNM) distributes generation credits across participating consumers' individual bills — in Delhi, VNM is explicitly available to residential consumers and group housing societies.

Do individual flat owners get the ₹78,000 subsidy if the society installs solar?

The GHS/RWA subsidy (₹18,000/kW on common facilities) is separate from individual household subsidies. A resident installing a personal rooftop system on their own meter can still claim the residential CFA slab — up to ₹78,000 for 3 kW and above — independently of the society's common-area plant.

Which DISCOM rules apply in Noida and Ghaziabad for society solar?

UPERC's rooftop solar regulations apply. Key check: net metering in UP is available for domestic-category connections; non-domestic common-area connections are generally limited to net billing or gross metering, where surplus earns a lower tariff. Confirm your connection category with PVVNL or NPCL before finalising the sizing and payback assumptions.

Sources: PM Surya Ghar scheme guidelines (MNRE); PIB releases (4 Jun 2026, 4 Aug 2026) on scheme milestones; DERC Net Metering Regulations 2014, GNM/VNM Guidelines 2019, Fifth Amendment 2024 and Second Amendment 2026; HERC Rooftop Solar Regulations 2021 (as amended 2025) with DHBVN circulars 2025-26; UPERC RSPV Regulations 2019 (consolidated); Delhi Solar Portal state subsidy pages; Hindustan Times and Times of India coverage of the Arihant Arden 500 kW project (Jul 2026).