Miscellaneous Schemes/ Initiatives under MNRE

Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects

• Concept: A solar park is a large piece of land that is fully prepared with infrastructure (roads, transmission lines, drainage, water supply, and statutory clearances) so that solar companies can directly install grid-connected solar projects without delays.
• Target: At least 50 Solar Parks/Ultra Mega Solar Projects → 40 GW solar capacity.
• Capacity: Each park = 500 MW or more.
• Tenure: By 2023-24.
• Significance: Helps states/UTs speed up large-scale clean power generation.
• Current Status(as of 2025): Parks sanctioned: 50+; Installed Capacity: 12.4 GW

Development of Solar Cities

• Idea: At least one city per state (either capital or a tourist hub) will be developed as a Solar City.
• Goal: 100% electricity needs met from Renewable Energy (RE), mainly solar.
• Purpose: Showcase model cities where clean energy meets urban needs fully.

Greening of Islands

• Objective: Convert Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands into 100% Green Energy Zones.
• Target: Deploy 52 MW of distributed solar PV projects.
• Reason: Islands depend heavily on costly diesel imports → replacing with solar ensures energy security + sustainability.

Green Energy Corridor (GEC) – Phase II

• Background:
  • Phase I: Grid integration & transmission for ~24 GW RE capacity in 8 states (AP, Gujarat, Himachal, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, TN).
• Phase II:
  • Focus on Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS) for 20 GW renewable energy projects.
  • Coverage: Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Support: Central Financial Assistance (CFA) = 33% of project cost.
  • Tenure: 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Purpose: Strengthen power grid to absorb large-scale renewable energy smoothly.

Suryamitra Skill Development Programme

• Objective: Train youth (18+ years) as solar PV technicians for installation, operation, and maintenance of solar systems.
• Implementing Agency: National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram.
• Significance: Builds a skilled workforce → creates jobs + ensures proper upkeep of solar projects.

National Bioenergy Programme (NBP)

• Aim: Support waste-to-energy plants that generate biogas, bio-CNG, and electricity from urban, industrial, and agricultural waste.
• Tenure: 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• Key Sub-Schemes:
  1. Waste-to-Energy Programme: Large plants using urban/industrial/agricultural waste.
  2. Biomass Programme: Support for briquettes, pellets, and cogeneration projects (non-bagasse industries).
  3. Biogas Programme: Family-size and medium biogas plants in rural areas.

Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Offshore Wind Energy Projects (OWEP)

• Purpose: Commission 1,000 MW offshore wind power projects (500 MW each off Gujarat & Tamil Nadu coasts).
• Implementation Agency: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
• Technical Support: National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) → provides expertise, stage-II clearance, and support under National Offshore Wind Energy Policy, 2015.
• Significance: Helps India enter the offshore wind sector (a future growth area for renewable energy)

Rooftop Solar (RTS) Programme

• MNRE had, in 2015, approved the grid-connected rooftop and small solar power plants programme, which aimed to install 4.2 GW of rooftop solar plants by 2019-20. However, in the first phase only 2.1 GW of rooftop solar (RTS) systems could be installed.
• MNRE issued guidelines to implement the second phase of the grid-connected rooftop solar PV programme, under which 22 GW of rooftop solar PV projects must be set up.
• Phase-II has since been extended up to 31 March 2026, and now sits within India’s larger national rooftop solar target of 40 GW.
• This scheme is now subsumed under PM-Surya Ghar to accelerate adoption.

Official Link: Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme | MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY | India

State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL)

Karnataka ranked the best for setting up a rooftop solar (RTS) project, according to the SARAL index released by the Centre. J&K was placed at the bottom. Ranking was released in 2019, since then no rankings as of 2026.

Rank / Rating	State(s)
Best (Rank 1)	Karnataka
Rated A++	Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh
Bottom	Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)

National Programme on Solar PV Modules

• The Union Cabinet, on 7 April 2021, approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme — “National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules” with an outlay of ₹4,500 crore (Tranche-I) to add 10 GW capacity of integrated solar PV module manufacturing plants. Administered by MNRE.
• Solar capacity addition presently depends largely upon imported solar PV cells and modules — hence the push for domestic manufacturing.

Updated Status (2026):

• Under Tranche-I, Letters of Award were issued by IREDA (Nov–Dec 2021) to three bidders for 8,737 MW of fully-integrated manufacturing capacity within the ₹4,500 crore outlay.
• The scheme was then expanded via Tranche-II, approved by the Cabinet on 21 September 2022, with a much larger outlay of ₹19,500 crore — implemented by MNRE/SECI to build fully-integrated (polysilicon-to-module) capacity.
• Total programme outlay now ≈ ₹24,000 crore across both tranches. This domestic-manufacturing push, alongside the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), has helped rapidly scale India’s solar cell and module manufacturing base.

Official Link: Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules | MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY | India

National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy

• MNRE released a solar-wind hybrid policy in 2018. It seeks to promote new hybrid projects as well as hybridisation of existing wind/solar projects.

The Policy provides for:

• Integration of wind and solar at AC as well as DC level.
• Flexibility in the share of wind and solar components.
• Procurement of power from a hybrid project on a tariff-based, transparent bidding process.

Hybrid project rule: For a project to be recognised as a hybrid project, the rated power capacity of one resource should be at least 25% of the rated power capacity of the other resource.

Objective: to provide a framework for the promotion of a large grid-connected wind-solar hybrid system for efficient utilisation of transmission infrastructure and land. It also aims at reducing the variability in renewable power generation and achieving better grid stability.

MoEF Relaxed the Lease Norms for Wind Power Projects

• Earlier, to establish a wind power project over forest land, the procedure required payment of mandatory charges for compensatory afforestation and Net Present Value (NPV). In addition, companies had to pay an additional lease rent of Rs 30,000 per MW.
• MoEF has now relaxed the mandatory charging of lease rent of Rs 30,000 per MW for wind power projects. This step is expected to boost investment in wind power projects and make it cheaper.