Swayampurna Maharashtra Residential Rooftop Solar Scheme (SMART Solar Scheme)

What is the SMART Solar Scheme?

Swayampurna Maharashtra Residential Rooftop (SMART) Solar Scheme is a rooftop solar subsidy programme of the Energy Department, Government of Maharashtra, implemented by MSEDCL. The scheme is aimed squarely at the bottom of the domestic tariff ladder; below poverty line households, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households, and other economically weaker consumers whose monthly electricity use is less than 100 units.

SMART does not replace the central PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. It sits on top of it. The Government of India pays Rs 30,000 per kW as central financial assistance for a residential rooftop system, and Maharashtra adds a second layer of subsidy so that the household's own contribution falls to between Rs 2,500 and Rs 10,000 for a 1 kW system costing roughly Rs 50,000. A 1 kW system generates about 120 units a month, which is more than the consumption of the households the scheme targets: hence the stated goal of a zero monthly electricity bill.

Key facts

• Implementing agency: MSEDCL (MahaVitaran), responsible for eligibility verification, inspection and release of the state subsidy.
• Budget: Rs 330 crore in 2025-26 and Rs 325 crore in 2026-27.
• Coverage target: around 5 lakh domestic consumers, of which about 1.5 lakh BPL households and 3.5 lakh other low-consumption households.
• Priority regions: remote and tribal areas including Melghat, Nandurbar and Gadchiroli.
• Suppliers must give a five-year maintenance and repair warranty.

Who is eligible for the SMART Solar Scheme?

You can be covered if:

• You are a domestic MSEDCL consumer with a live connection in your name.
• Your average monthly consumption is below 100 units, checked against your billing history on the MSEDCL system.
• You fall in one of the covered categories: below poverty line, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or economically weaker general category.
• You own the roof, or hold documented permission to install on it. A housing society No Objection Certificate is accepted for flats.
• The roof has enough shadow-free area for a 1 kW array, which in practice is about 100 square feet.

You cannot apply if:

• Your household consumes 100 units or more a month. This is the single hard filter in the scheme and is not waived on request.
• Your connection is commercial, industrial, agricultural, public-lighting or institutional rather than domestic.
• You are not an MSEDCL consumer; consumers of Adani Electricity, Tata Power or BEST in the Mumbai licence areas are served by their own distribution licensee and not by MSEDCL under this scheme.
• You have already claimed a rooftop solar subsidy for the same connection.
• The roof is heavily shaded, structurally unsound, or you cannot produce proof of the right to install on it.

How much subsidy does the SMART Solar Scheme give?

All the figures above are per kW, on an indicative benchmark system cost of Rs 50,000 for 1 kW. The subsidy is not paid in advance. The household or its vendor funds the installation, and the central and state subsidy amounts are released into the consumer's bank account after the system is installed, inspected and the net meter is commissioned.

Beyond the capital subsidy, the household keeps the electricity the system generates. Under net metering, surplus units exported to the MSEDCL grid are credited against units drawn, which is what turns a sub-100-unit bill into a near-zero one.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the SMART Solar Scheme

1. Check your last three MSEDCL bills and confirm the average monthly consumption is below 100 units. An application above that threshold will be rejected at verification.
2. Register on the national rooftop solar portal (PM Surya Ghar) with your state as Maharashtra, your discom as MSEDCL, and your consumer number exactly as printed on the bill.
3. Log in and apply for feasibility approval for a 1 kW residential rooftop system. MSEDCL checks the connection and the roof feasibility.
4. Once feasibility is approved, select a registered vendor from the list of empanelled installers shown for your district and sign the installation agreement, which must include the five-year maintenance warranty.
5. Get the system installed, then submit the installation details and the plant photographs on the portal.
6. Apply for the net meter. An MSEDCL engineer inspects the installation and commissions the meter.
7. After commissioning, submit your bank account details and the category certificate — BPL, SC or ST as applicable, so both the central and the Maharashtra state subsidy are released to your account.

Households without internet access can complete the same steps at a Common Service Centre or Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra, or ask their MSEDCL sub-division office for help. There is no separate offline paper form for the state subsidy; the state component follows the same application record.

How to check your application and subsidy status

1. Log in to the national rooftop solar portal with the mobile number used at registration.
2. Open your application and read the current stage, feasibility approval, vendor selected, installation submitted, inspection done, net meter commissioned, or subsidy released.
3. For the state component specifically, contact the MSEDCL sub-division office of your connection, quoting the consumer number and the application reference.
4. If nothing moves for several weeks, call the MSEDCL consumer helpline 1912, or the solar helplines 1800-212-3435 and 1800-233-3435.

Why SMART Solar applications get rejected or delayed

• Consumption above 100 units in the verified billing history, which is the most common rejection.
• Consumer name mismatch, the connection is in a parent's or previous owner's name while the applicant is someone else. Get the connection transferred at the MSEDCL office first.
• No proof of the right to install on the roof, especially for flats without a society NOC.
• Category certificate missing or expired, so the higher BPL or SC/ST slab cannot be sanctioned and only the general slab applies.
• Shading or insufficient roof area found during the feasibility check.
• Bank account not matching the consumer's name, which stalls the subsidy release even after commissioning.
• Annual allocation exhausted in your circle, in which case the application waits for the next financial year's budget.

Help and grievance redressal

• MSEDCL consumer helpline: 1912
• MSEDCL solar helplines: 1800-212-3435 and 1800-233-3435
• Local route: the MSEDCL sub-division and division office of your connection, for feasibility, net metering and subsidy release
• Vendor complaints: report faults during the five-year warranty to the empanelled vendor in writing, with a copy to the MSEDCL sub-division office

No consumer should pay cash to an agent for "getting the SMART subsidy approved". The consumer contribution goes to the empanelled vendor against a proper invoice, and the central and state subsidy amounts reach the beneficiary's own bank account directly.