MNRE, SSEF Partners to Advance Rooftop Solar in Urban Areas

Shri Santosh Kumar Sarangi (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), launched the City Accelerator Program today during the National Conference on Skill Development for Renewable Energy Workforce held at Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan, New Delhi. The program is being implemented in collaboration with Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF).

The City Accelerator Program is a key initiative under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar (RTS) scheme, and aims to drive faster adoption of RTS across Indian cities. The program is designed to provide:

• Technical assistance to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and DISCOMs
• Capacity building and institutional strengthening
• Support in designing enabling city-level policy and regulatory framework.

In its first phase, the program will be rolled out in 30 cities across 10 states. Insights gained during this phase will inform the subsequent expansion to 100 cities.

The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched by the Government of India, seeks to solarise 1 crore households and is a critical part of India's commitment to achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

The City Accelerator Program supports this vision by targeting urban areas—key hubs of energy consumption—with a focused and structured approach. The program aims to build institutional capacity, improve economic understanding of rooftop solar benefits for stakeholders like DISCOMs and ULBs, and foster policy innovation through collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Key Objectives of the Program:

• Identify and resolve city-level barriers to RTS adoption through technical assistance.
• Develop economic models and tools to demonstrate benefits to stakeholders.
• Support targeted awareness, skill development, and outreach campaigns.
• Create and disseminate toolkits, knowledge products, and success stories.
• Advise cities on enabling policy reforms and innovative business models.
• Facilitate collaboration among city administrators, DISCOMs, and State Nodal Agencies (SNAs).

A dedicated cell has been set up at MNRE, and teams will be deployed with implementation agencies in each city to ensure effective on-ground support and monitoring. By building solar-ready cities and creating replicable models, the City Accelerator Program aims to transform India's urban energy landscape and contribute meaningfully to its clean energy transition.