PM Surya Ghar Application Process

The PM Surya Ghar portal tracks every application through ten stages, from Consumer Registered to Subsidy Disbursal (MNRE installer manual, 29 June 2024). Most installers know the customer-side flow vaguely but trip up when the installation details go in: wrong photo format, missing serial numbers, or a protection checklist left open.

This guide walks through every step in order, from the customer's first portal registration to the upload of installation details and the subsidy, with the documents the portal screens ask for and the common errors to avoid. The screens come from MNRE's manuals of June and July 2024, and the portal may have changed since.

The entire process runs through the PM Surya Ghar national portal, both consumer-facing and vendor-facing modules. The MNRE provides the technical guidelines, but the DISCOM (Distribution Company) is the operational gatekeeper at every approval step.

Before You Start, The Prerequisite Checklist

Before the customer registers on the portal, confirm these prerequisites are in place:

Steps 1–4, The Consumer Side

Your job during Steps 1–4 is to guide the customer through the portal, not do it for them. The customer must complete registration with their own mobile OTP. You can sit beside them or share your screen to walk through.

Step 1, Consumer registration on the portal

The customer visits pmsuryaghar.gov.in and clicks "Apply for rooftop solar."

• Enter mobile number → receive OTP → create account
• Fill in: name, state, DISCOM name, electricity consumer number from the bill
• The portal validates the consumer number against the DISCOM's database, if the number is wrong, registration fails

Common errors:

• Consumer number entered with extra spaces or dashes, enter exactly as it appears on the bill
• Wrong DISCOM selected, in areas served by multiple DISCOMs (like Delhi or UP), check the bill header carefully

Step 2, Apply for net metering / feasibility

After registration, the customer submits an application for net metering feasibility approval.

• Select: rooftop solar application type
• Enter desired system capacity (kW)
• Upload: one electricity bill from the last 6 months (JPG, JPEG or PDF, up to 500 kb in the July 2024 manual)

The manual's screens do not ask for Aadhaar, PAN or property papers, and the guidelines do not list them either. Your DISCOM may ask for more under state rules. The details of the consumer are fetched from the DISCOM, and the consumer can refresh them with "Refresh Consumer data from Discom". The DISCOM receives the application through the portal.

Step 3, DISCOM feasibility approval

Under the guidelines (clause 6(h)), rooftop systems up to 10 kW are deemed accepted without technical feasibility approval. Until the state regulator or DISCOM puts this into practice, the consumer uploads the documents that state rules still require. The portal tracker shows either Feasibility Approval or Feasibility Waived-off at this stage.

Where feasibility is still checked, the DISCOM either:

• Grants a feasibility letter with the sanctioned capacity, and you proceed to Step 4
• Asks for additional documents, and the customer submits them
• Rejects, for example because of feeder capacity, and the customer is notified

Step 4, Consumer selects installer

Once the application is in, the consumer can search for vendors registered for their DISCOM, send a Contact Me request, see the vendor's email and mobile number, and select one (consumer manual, 21 July 2024). The customer selects you, or you advise them to select your company.

This is why being registered on the National Portal is critical: if you're not on this list, the customer cannot link you to their application.

Steps 5–7, The Installer Side

Once the customer selects you, the project appears in your vendor dashboard under Installations. Steps 5 to 7 are mostly your responsibility, with the DISCOM at the end.

Step 5, Complete the installation

Install the system within the capacity approved for the connection. Key rules:

• Do not exceed the capacity approved by the DISCOM. The portal's summary shows Capacity Approved by DISCOM and Capacity eligible for Subsidy/CFA side by side
• Use modules that meet the Domestic Content Requirement. Use of non-DCR modules makes the installation ineligible for the subsidy (guidelines clause 5(m))
• Record each module's serial number and the inverter's serial number before mounting, because the portal asks for them
• Take the plant photo the portal asks for: the Master Manual of 21 July 2024 shows a photo of the solar PV plant with the consumer, accepted as a PDF up to 500 kB, which shall show geo co-ordinates

Step 6, Submit the installation details on the portal

The guidelines say the consumer updates the system details after installation, and the vendor may help through the consumer login (clause 6(j)). MNRE's installer manual also shows a Submit Installation action in the vendor dashboard. Both open the same five-step form (manuals of 29 June and 21 July 2024):

• Vendor Details: vendor name, the signed agreement, latitude and longitude
• Inverter and PV Module Details: capacity, quantity, manufacturer and serial numbers, with totals
• Plant Photo: the photo with geo co-ordinates, plus any extra documents your DISCOM asks for
• Protection Checklist: Yes or No for Surge Protection Device, MCB, Earthing and Lightning Arrester
• Final Submission

After final submission, the application moves to the DISCOM (guidelines clause 6(j)). Ask your DISCOM whether it also wants a single-line diagram or its own commissioning report format, because those are not on the national screens.

Common errors to check before Final Submission:

• Module serial numbers that do not match the module you bought, or a module not on the ALMM list
• A plant photo without geo co-ordinates (taken with location off), or saved in a format the screen does not accept
• Installed capacity above the capacity approved by the DISCOM, so the subsidy is on a lower capacity than the customer expected
• Protection Checklist items left as No, or the form saved but never finally submitted
• Non-DCR modules, which make the installation ineligible for the subsidy

Step 7, DISCOM inspection and net meter installation

The DISCOM physically inspects the system. Under the guidelines (clause 6(k)) it:

• Conducts a checklist-based inspection as per the National Portal, much like the checklist in how EPCs verify a completed installation
• Signs the appropriate agreements with the consumer, such as the net meter agreement, under state regulations
• Approves the application on the portal for release of the subsidy, or sends it back for corrections, or rejects it with a justification

The guidelines set no inspection deadline. The portal is meant to raise multi-level triggers for delays in DISCOM inspection and net meter installation (clause 8(a)(v)).

Step 8, Subsidy Disbursement (Consumer Action Required)

After the DISCOM's inspection and approval, the e-token on the consumer's portal profile is activated with the amount of subsidy for the actual installed capacity (guidelines clause 6(p)). The customer must:

• Log into their own portal account
• Have bank details on the profile: bank name, IFSC, account holder name, account number, and a cancelled cheque, passbook copy or bank e-statement. The portal says the account holder name and the electricity connection name should be the same. These can be filled at any stage
• Redeem the e-token

The guidelines say the subsidy is processed within 15 days of DISCOM approval (clause 6(t)). A PIB explainer of 1 March 2024 said it reaches the account within 30 days of the bank details being submitted. A state top-up, if any, runs on its own timeline. See the subsidy credit time guide for how the clocks differ.

The Full Timeline, What the Official Papers Say

The Application Tracker, What Installers Should Monitor

Track these six internal checkpoints for every active PM Surya Ghar project. They are our own grouping of the portal's ten stages:

1. M0

   Consumer registered + feasibility submitted

   Confirm portal registration is complete and feasibility application is submitted to DISCOM.

2. M1

   Feasibility approved or waived off, capacity confirmed

   Note the approved kW. Do not procure or install more than this capacity.

3. M2

   Installation completed

   Plant photo with geo co-ordinates taken, serial numbers recorded. Installation details ready to submit.

4. M3

   Installation details submitted on portal

   All documents uploaded and Final Submission done. The application moves to the DISCOM for inspection.

5. M4

   DISCOM inspection passed + net meter installed

   System is live on the grid. Customer can start generating and exporting power.

6. M5

   Subsidy DBT received by customer

   Follow up with customer to confirm receipt. Ask for referrals at peak satisfaction.

How Quickest Solar CRM Tracks Every Active Application

Managing 10–20 active PM Surya Ghar applications simultaneously, each at a different milestone, with different DISCOM timelines, is where manual tracking breaks down completely.

• Pipeline Management, Create a PM Surya Ghar pipeline with stages mapped to M0–M5 above. See every project's current stage at a glance. Move projects between stages with one tap as milestones complete.
• WhatsApp Follow-up, Keep saved message templates for each milestone, for example "Your feasibility is approved, we're starting installation next week," so a status update takes seconds to send.
• Sales Reports, Use the dashboard and team report to see how many projects sit at each milestone. If, say, 8 of 15 active projects (an illustrative number) are stuck at M3, you have a DISCOM inspection bottleneck and a list to escalate.

The complete PM Surya Ghar guide covers the full scheme context if you need a refresher on eligibility and subsidy slabs before walking customers through the application.

What to Do This Week, For Your EPC

1. Map your active PM Surya Ghar projects to the M0–M5 milestones. Identify which projects are stuck at which milestone and why. Unstick one stuck project per day this week.

2. Create an installation-details checklist. List what the portal form asks for: signed agreement, latitude and longitude, inverter and module details with serial numbers, plant photo with geo co-ordinates (PDF, up to 500 kB in July 2024), and the protection checklist. Add anything your DISCOM asks for on top. Laminate it and put it in every installation kit.

3. Set a weekly reminder to check DISCOM inspection status. The portal tracker shows which stage each project is at. If a project has sat at M3 longer than your DISCOM usually takes, follow up with the DISCOM officer, and raise a grievance on the portal if needed. The guidelines say grievances are to be resolved within 30 days (clause 11).

Frequently asked questions

How long does the PM Surya Ghar portal application take?

MNRE publishes no end-to-end time. The guidelines say the subsidy is processed within 15 days of DISCOM approval (clause 6(t)), rooftop systems up to 10 kW are deemed accepted without a technical feasibility approval, and they set no deadline for DISCOM inspection. So the part you cannot predict is the DISCOM's inspection and net meter work. Ask your DISCOM how long it is taking now, and use the portal tracker to see where each file sits.

Can I submit the installation details on behalf of the customer?

In part. The guidelines say the consumer updates the system details and uploads the documents, and the vendor may assist through the consumer login (clause 6(j)). MNRE's installer manual of 29 June 2024 also shows a Submit Installation action in the vendor dashboard. The bank details and the redemption of the e-token must be done by the consumer on their own profile. Both sets of screens work on the same application.

What documents does the installer upload on the portal?

The portal's installation form (manuals of June and July 2024) asks for the signed agreement, latitude and longitude, inverter and module capacity, quantity, manufacturer and serial numbers, a plant photo that shows geo co-ordinates (PDF, up to 500 kB), and a protection checklist for the surge protection device, MCB, earthing and lightning arrester. Some DISCOMs ask for more, such as a single-line diagram or invoices, so ask yours.

What happens if the DISCOM inspection fails?

Under the guidelines (clause 6(k)) the DISCOM can send the application back for corrections or reject the claim with adequate justification. The list of rejection reasons covers the usual causes. Correct the point the DISCOM names and resubmit. The guidelines set no inspection timeline, so ask the DISCOM officer how soon it can inspect again.

Can the customer track the application status themselves?

Yes. The consumer's portal profile shows the ten-stage tracker, from Consumer Registered to Subsidy Disbursal, and the consumer has the user rights to do every step on the portal without relying on the vendor (guidelines clause 8(d)). Train your customer to check the tracker regularly and WhatsApp you when a stage changes.