PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana Transforms Varanasi With Affordable Solar Rooftop Power

Power

The PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGY), launched in February 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is making strong progress in increasing the use of solar rooftop systems in homes across India. With a large budget of ₹75,021 crore, the program aims to install solar rooftop systems in one crore residential households by March 2027. This initiative plays an important role in helping India move towards clean energy and meet its climate goals. The city of Varanasi is one of the places where the program has shown great success because of its high sunlight hours and warm climate, making it ideal for solar energy production.

A survey of 1,013 people who have benefited from the program in Varanasi shows how the scheme is making a difference. Most households using solar rooftop systems have electricity loads between 2 kW and 4 kW. Specifically, 35% have 4 kW systems, 24% have 3 kW, and 13% have 2 kW. This suggests that the program mainly helps homes with low to medium electricity needs. One of the biggest attractions for people is the financial benefit. A 4 kWp solar rooftop system costs around ₹59,604 per kW on average. Beneficiaries receive subsidies averaging ₹1,06,043 per household from both central and state governments, which reduces the total cost for consumers to about ₹1,32,373 for a 4 kWp system. For a 4 kWp system, subsidies cover roughly 43% of the total cost, while for smaller 2 kW systems, subsidies cover about 73%. This makes solar energy affordable for many lower-income families.

Households are saving a significant amount on electricity bills, with average monthly savings of ₹2,972. This adds up to annual savings of about ₹35,664 and lifetime savings estimated at ₹8,91,600. The average time to recover the investment cost through savings, known as the payback period, is just 3.8 years, which is quite short. Most of these savings (68.9%) are spent on household needs, while 23.6% go into future savings. This shows that the program is helping families improve their financial planning.

Besides saving money, the program is improving people’s lives in other ways. Nearly 77.4% of the beneficiaries said their quality of life got better due to lower energy costs and more reliable electricity. The initiative has also created over 4,500 jobs in Varanasi. About 55% of these jobs are skilled roles such as project managers and technicians, while 45% are semi-skilled jobs like installers and customer support workers. This means the program is helping grow the local economy and building important skills in the renewable energy sector.

The program is also encouraging positive changes in education and behavior. More than 60% of households noticed that children are now more interested in renewable energy and environmental topics. Almost 60% of families have become more careful about how they use electricity, showing a growing awareness of energy conservation. This suggests that solar rooftop systems are not just about money but also about promoting a responsible attitude towards energy use and protecting the environment.

Environmentally, the program is helping reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cutting down carbon emissions by generating clean solar power. Many beneficiaries have also started using energy-efficient appliances and conserving water, which increases the overall environmental benefits. User satisfaction is very high, with 81% happy with how their solar systems work and 99.5% reporting no need for any component replacements since installation, proving the systems are reliable.

However, some challenges remain. Vendors are the main source of information for maintenance, but about 11% of users faced problems with cleaning their solar panels. Among these, 90% said that the height at which panels were installed made cleaning difficult. This points to a need for vendors to focus more on system designs that make maintenance easier. Some users also reported issues with a lack of proper information (32.1%), poor installation (17.9%), and slow responses to problems (17.9%), showing that vendor services could improve communication, professionalism, and efficiency.

Despite these problems, community feedback is very positive. Nearly 90% of people said they would recommend solar rooftop systems to others. The main reasons were savings on electricity bills, support for green energy, and the financial help provided by subsidies. The program has also created a ripple effect, with about 74.5% of respondents seeing more interest in solar energy among their neighbors.

The PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has brought big changes in Varanasi by lowering reliance on conventional energy and encouraging a sustainable way of living. It has empowered local people to take part in India’s renewable energy movement, helping fight climate change while supporting financial well-being. To make the program even better, expanding community awareness efforts, showcasing success stories, and giving clear guidance on maintenance is important. This scheme is set to deliver lasting benefits, making a greener, cleaner future possible for many Indian households.