For residential, commercial, agricultural, institutional, off-grid rural

For residential, commercial, agricultural, institutional, off-grid rural in Bihar — this guide covers the Bihar Solar Energy Policy 2017 / Bihar Rooftop Solar Programme (BREDA). Administered by Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) / Bihar State Power Holding Co. Ltd (BSPHCL). Below are subsidy rates, eligibility, technical rules, documents, and scheme process.

Subsidy benefits

• Central CFA (PM Surya Ghar): up to Rs.78,000
• Bihar state additional: 30% state subsidy for residential below poverty line (BPL) consumers
• Agricultural solar pumps (PM KUSUM): 60% total
• Bihar Solar Policy: Rs.1,000/kW/year generation incentive for 5 years (residential net metering)

Authority and scope

• Government body: Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) / Bihar State Power Holding Co. Ltd (BSPHCL)
• Nodal agency: BREDA (Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency)
• Eligible for: residential, commercial, agricultural, institutional, off-grid rural
• Installation type: Rooftop on-grid + off-grid (rural) + agricultural solar pumps

Eligibility and disbursement

• Open to multiple consumer categories.
• Income restrictions: BPL consumers: 30% additional state subsidy. All others: central CFA only. Priority for SC/ST and EWS.
• Disbursement timeline: 30–60 days post-commissioning
• Disbursement mode: DBT via BREDA/DISCOM; state component via BREDA
• Maximum capacity: 500 kW

Net metering and technical rules

• Net metering is available under this scheme.
• Net metering policy: BERC Net Metering Regulations 2017 (amended 2022). 1 kW–500 kW. DISCOMs: NBPDCL (North Bihar: Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnia, Saharsa), SBPDCL (South Bihar: Gaya, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, Aurangabad).
• Gross metering policy: BERC gross metering for >500 kW. SECI/BSPHCL tenders for utility-scale.
• Hybrid policy: Bihar Solar + Agriculture hybrid: Sitamarhi and East Champaran districts targeted for agrivoltaic.
• DISCOM requirements: NBPDCL (North Bihar: 17 districts including Patna district, Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Sitamarhi). SBPDCL (South Bihar: 20 districts including Gaya, Bhagalpur, Nalanda).

How to apply

Apply on BREDA portal or pmsuryaghar.gov.in

Select DISCOM (NBPDCL or SBPDCL)

BREDA-empanelled vendor selection

Installation + net meter

DISCOM inspection + commissioning

Central CFA + state subsidy (BPL) via DBT

Documents required

• Aadhaar card
• Electricity bill
• BPL certificate (if applicable)
• Property documents (Jamabandi)
• Bank account details

Additional details

• Scheme budget: Bihar RE target: 3,433 MW by 2022 (revised to 5,000 MW by 2025). Har Ghar Solar Bijli scheme: 1 lakh rooftop systems target.
• Target beneficiaries: All Bihar consumers + rural off-grid areas. Key areas: Patna (800xxx), Gaya (823xxx), Bhagalpur (812xxx), Muzaffarpur (842xxx), Darbhanga (846xxx), Purnia (854xxx).
• Progress: Bihar: 1+ GW solar installed (April 2025). Bihar has one of India's largest rural off-grid solar pump programmes via PM KUSUM.