Delhi solar subsidy and GBI in 2026

A 3 kW rooftop system on a Delhi home carries ₹1,56,000 of capital subsidy in September 2026: ₹78,000 from PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and ₹78,000 (3 kW) from the Delhi government, at ₹26,000 per kW. Delhi then pays a generation-based incentive (GBI) of ₹3 per unit generated, which comes to about ₹11,745 a year for 3 kW on the planning yield this site uses, for 5 years from commissioning, paid monthly against the bill; any excess to the bank account. On Verde Solaire's published July 2025 prices a 3 kW system nets to ₹43,000 to ₹54,000 before the incentive.

The 3 kW state figure is confirmed by Verde Solaire as of 20 September 2026. The government notification will be linked here when available, so you can see the terms that apply to your capacity.

The Delhi subsidy by capacity

The state subsidy is ₹26,000 per kW and stops at ₹78,000 (3 kW). The central subsidy is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third, so it also stops at 3 kW, at ₹78,000. The two are paid separately and both are yours.

Not yet official. Confirmed by Verde Solaire on 20 September 2026. We are awaiting the updated government notification to replace this client-confirmed figure with the official source.

Two consequences follow. A 5 kW or 10 kW home system gets exactly the same capital subsidy as a 3 kW one, so the subsidy per kW falls as the system grows; the pricing page for Delhi shows what that does to the net price at each size. And because no subsidy is deducted from the installer's invoice, you pay the gross price and the two governments pay you afterwards, into the bank account you give on the portal.

For comparison, Uttar Pradesh pays ₹15,000 per kW capped at ₹30,000 per consumer, on top of the central subsidy. The Uttar Pradesh page covers that side of the border, and the money-flow page on this site walks through every payment in order.

How the figure changed: 2024, 2025 and 2026

The Delhi Solar Energy Policy runs 14 March 2024 to 13 March 2027. The policy began with a residential capital subsidy of ₹2,000 per kW, maximum ₹10,000 (replaced in July 2025). Check the current rate below before comparing a quote, as the policy has since changed.

The earlier policy figure was raised again: Verde Solaire confirmed ₹78,000 (3 kW) for a 3 kW system on 20 September 2026. The updated government notification will replace this company-confirmed update when it is published.

On 1 September 2026 the Delhi Cabinet approved a second amendment. As reported, it offers up to 3 kW at zero upfront cost, "subject to technical feasibility" to households that averaged 400 units a month or less in FY 2025-26, with ₹78,000 from Delhi on top of the central ₹78,000, plus a top-up to the tendered plant cost, and free operation and maintenance for 5 years. The government has set a target of 2.30 lakh rooftops and 500 MW by March 2027.

Not yet official. Cabinet-approved on 1 September 2026 and reported by the press; the notification and operating rules had not been published when we checked on 16 September 2026. The official Delhi portal still shows the July 2025 figures.

What the reports do not say matters as much as what they do. None of them explains how the new amount sits beside the July 2025 subsidy, whether the generation-based incentive survives, or what a household using more than 400 units a month receives.

Until the notification is published, the July 2025 figures are the only ones a Delhi household can claim. The zero-upfront explainer keeps the approved and the notified apart, and says what a household under 400 units should do while it waits.

The generation-based incentive

Delhi is the only state in Verde Solaire's service area that pays you for generating, not just for installing. The rate depends on the size of the system: ₹3 per unit for home systems up to 3 kW, and ₹2 per unit for systems above 3 kW and up to 10 kW. It runs for 5 years from commissioning, paid monthly against the bill; any excess to the bank account.

Three details are often missed. First, the incentive is paid on every unit the system generates, whether your home used it or the grid took it, so it is separate from net-metering credits. Second, it is credited against the monthly bill, not paid as a lump sum, and only the amount left over after the bill is zero goes to your bank. Third, the rate is set by the system's capacity, not by consumption: a 4 kW system earns the lower rate on all of its output, not just the part above 3 kW.

Worked through for a Delhi home, a 3 kW system generates about 326 units a month on the yield Verde Solaire uses for planning, after a 10% allowance for dust and monsoon. At the higher rate that is about ₹11,745 a year and ₹58,725 over the five years. A 5 kW system generates about 544 units a month and earns about ₹13,050 a year at the lower rate. The incentive is not a reason to undersize: a 5 kW roof still earns more than a 3 kW one, and the lower rate is the price of the extra generation, not a penalty. Use the solar calculator to see the incentive beside the bill saving for your own size.

Housing societies and RWAs

Common facilities in a housing society or resident welfare association get a separate, smaller capital subsidy from Delhi: ₹2,000 per kW, up to 500 kW. The central scheme pays ₹18,000 per kW for the same use, up to 500 kW (3 kW per house), EV charging included. Delhi's generation-based incentive for societies is ₹2 per unit (up to 500 kW, 10 kW per house). The housing society page covers how the common-area system is sized and who signs the application.

Where to apply

The route is subsidised systems: apply on the PM Surya Ghar portal and claim the Delhi subsidy and GBI on solar.delhi.gov.in; unsubsidised systems: the DISCOM portal. That is two portals for a subsidised home: the national one for the central subsidy and the vendor choice, and the Delhi one for the state subsidy and the incentive. DERC's 2026 guidelines say the same thing from the electricity board's side: PM Surya Ghar applicants apply through the national portal; everyone else through the DISCOM or state portal.

The installer the installer must be a vendor registered on the national portal, and you choose the vendor on pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Verde Solaire is a registered PM Surya Ghar vendor in both Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and Jai Kumar Manghnani, who installed 10 kW at his Greater Kailash home, wrote that "the processes were simple and they have also helped in applying for central subsidy for solar power plant."

1. 01

   Register on pmsuryaghar.gov.in

   State, electricity board, consumer number and mobile number. Your bill names the board: BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna or Tata Power-DDL.
2. 02

   Apply, choose the vendor, get feasibility approval

   No feasibility study is needed up to 10 kW on the same supply type in Delhi.
3. 03

   Install, then apply for the net meter

   The vendor uploads the plant details. The connection is due within 10 days for systems up to 10 kW, with no application fee for domestic systems.
4. 04

   Claim on solar.delhi.gov.in

   The Delhi state subsidy and the generation-based incentive are claimed on the state portal after commissioning.
5. 05

   Bank details, then the subsidy

   The central subsidy is transferred after the commissioning certificate and your bank details are on the portal.

The full nine-step sequence, with what each portal status means, is on the how-to-apply page, and the portal help page explains what each status means if a stage stalls. Under DERC's Second Amendment Guidelines of 16 July 2026 the connection timeline is 10 days for systems up to 10 kW and there is no application fee for domestic systems up to 10 kW. The Delhi net-metering page has the board-by-board detail.

Who is eligible

The published conditions are short: an Indian citizen who owns a house with a suitable roof, has a valid electricity connection and has not taken an earlier solar subsidy. The equipment must meet the scheme's rules: both the modules and the cells must be made in India, and from 1 June 2026 the cells must be on ALMM List-II. A tenant cannot apply; the connection and the roof must be the applicant's. The eligibility checker asks seven questions and gives a yes, no or conditional answer with the documents to keep ready.

What the subsidy does not change on the bill

The subsidy reduces the price of the system. It does not change how BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna or Tata Power-DDL bill you afterwards, and three parts of the Delhi bill survive solar.

The energy charge is the DERC schedule of FY 2021-22, the last published order: ₹3.00 (0–200 units), ₹4.50 (201–400), ₹6.50 (401–800), ₹7.00 (801–1,200) and ₹8.00 (above 1,200) per unit. Fixed charges are ₹20 (up to 2 kW), ₹50 (2–5 kW), ₹100 (5–15 kW), ₹200 (15–25 kW) and ₹250 (above 25 kW) per kW per month, and they apply to your sanctioned load whether or not you generate. A regulatory asset surcharge of 8% sits on top, and each board adds a fuel surcharge that changes month to month.

Delhi's free-power subsidy is a separate scheme: 0–200 units a month free; 201–400 units at 50% off, capped at ₹800 a month; you must opt in. With solar it is worked out on net units, that is import minus export, so a home whose net draw stays under 200 units keeps the benefit. Net-metering credits credits roll over month to month, and any surplus left at the end of the financial year is paid at the DISCOM's average power purchase cost.

Not yet official. Trade and news reports; no DERC or GNCTD order was cited.

The Delhi tariff explainer works through a bill line by line, and the bill calculator under Tools applies these slabs to your own units.