- RWAs / group housing get ₹18,000/kW for common facilities (incl. EV charging, common lighting) up to 500 kW.
- The 500 kW cap includes residents' own rooftop plants in the society, not just the common system.
- DCR / ALMM List-II equipment is mandatory for this subsidy.
- Commercial/industrial and non-common-area loads do NOT qualify.
- The sale needs society resolutions and multiple stakeholders — long cycle, high ticket, rich AMC.
The RWA and group-housing segment is the most overlooked high-ticket opportunity in PM Surya Ghar. One society can mean hundreds of kilowatts of common-facility and rooftop work, a dedicated ₹18,000/kW common subsidy, and years of recurring service. The catch is the sale — you are selling to a committee, not a person. Win that and the economics are excellent.
The ₹18,000/kW common-facility subsidy
Under PM Surya Ghar, an RWA or group housing society (GHS) gets a central subsidy of ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities, up to a total of 500 kW for the society. Common facilities explicitly include things like EV charging, common-area lighting, lifts and shared pumps — the loads that serve all residents rather than any one flat.
This is a distinct subsidy from the per-home residential slab. It is a scheme fact, not a guarantee of payout — always verify the current rate with your DISCOM. For how the residential per-home subsidy is calculated alongside it, see the subsidy amount & slabs guide.
How the 500 kW cap actually works
This is the detail most people get wrong: the 500 kW cap is a total for the society, and it includes the individual residents' rooftop plants inside that society — not only the common-facility system. So the common-facility plant plus all the residents' own rooftop systems together count toward the 500 kW limit.
Plan the cap before you design
For a large society you cannot simply max out the common-facility plant and ignore the residents. If many flats also want rooftop systems, the combined capacity has to fit under 500 kW for the subsidised portion. Map the likely resident uptake first, then size the common plant so the society captures the full subsidy without breaching the cap.
The DCR / ALMM List-II condition
The RWA / group-housing common-facility subsidy mandates DCR modules — Indian cells in an Indian panel — and from 1 June 2026 those domestic cells must come from ALMM List-II manufacturers. Use non-DCR or non-List-II equipment and the ₹18,000/kW subsidy is rejected, the same as any other subsidised segment.
Because society projects are large, a single sourcing mistake is expensive. Lock the DCR/List-II bill of materials at the purchase order — the full procurement discipline is in the ALMM List-II & DCR modules guide.
What qualifies and what does not
The line is simple: shared common facilities qualify for the ₹18,000/kW rate; private and commercial loads do not. Here is how the common cases fall.
The RWA sales and approval process
An RWA sale is unlike a single home. You are not convincing one homeowner — you are getting a society resolution passed and bringing several stakeholders along.
Who you have to win
Expect to deal with the managing committee, the wider body of residents, often the builder or facility manager, and the DISCOM. The committee approves, the residents vote, the facility team worries about disruption, and the DISCOM signs off the technical and subsidy side.
How to manage the longer cycle
The process is document-heavy and slow: a proposal, a society general-body resolution, individual resident sign-ups for their own rooftops, and the common-facility application — all running in parallel. The EPCs who win this segment track every stakeholder, approval and resident plant in one place instead of chasing it over email and WhatsApp. Treat the resolution as the milestone that unlocks everything else.
Why this is a high-ticket, AMC-rich segment
Once you win a society, the economics are strong. A single approval can mean a large common-facility plant plus dozens of resident rooftops — a far bigger ticket than one home for roughly one sales effort. And because a society runs lifts, pumps and EV charging on that solar, it needs ongoing service: a multi-year AMC that turns one project into recurring revenue.
That combination — high ticket, low per-kW sales cost, and a built-in service contract — is why the RWA segment rewards an EPC that can manage complexity. The hard part is not the install; it is keeping the long, multi-stakeholder process from falling apart.
How SuryaHub helps you win and run societies
SuryaHub manages the long RWA cycle in one place — society resolutions and multi-stakeholder approvals in the CRM, the 500 kW cap tracked across the common plant and resident rooftops, DCR/List-II equipment on the BOM, the DISCOM and subsidy steps, and the recurring AMC after handover. SuryaHub is pre-revenue; real pilots are Suryantra Energy and RGESPL, and figures here are scheme facts, not guarantees.
Win the society sale
See how SuryaHub tracks resolutions, residents and the 500 kW cap in one place.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What subsidy do RWAs and housing societies get under PM Surya Ghar?+
RWAs and group housing societies get a PM Surya Ghar subsidy of ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities — such as common-area lighting, lifts, water pumps and EV charging — up to a total of 500 kW for the society. This is a scheme fact, not a guarantee; verify the current rate with your DISCOM.
How does the 500 kW cap work for group housing societies?+
The 500 kW cap is the total subsidised capacity for the society and it includes the individual residents' rooftop plants inside that society, not only the common-facility system. So the common-facility plant plus residents' rooftop systems together count toward the 500 kW limit under PM Surya Ghar.
Do RWA solar systems need DCR or ALMM List-II equipment?+
Yes. The RWA and group-housing common-facility subsidy mandates DCR modules — Indian cells in an Indian panel — and from 1 June 2026 those cells must come from ALMM List-II manufacturers. Using non-DCR or non-List-II equipment means the ₹18,000/kW subsidy is rejected.
What does NOT qualify for the RWA common-facility subsidy?+
Commercial or industrial use, shops and offices, and any non-common-area private load do not qualify for the ₹18,000/kW RWA common-facility subsidy. Individual flat consumption is also separate — it goes under each resident's own rooftop subsidy rather than the common-facility rate.
How is the RWA sales process different from a single home?+
An RWA sale needs a society resolution and sign-off from multiple stakeholders — the managing committee, residents and often the builder — so the cycle is longer and document-heavy. Managing the resolution, approvals and individual resident plants in one place is what makes the RWA segment workable for an EPC.
How does SuryaHub help with PM Surya Ghar RWA projects?+
SuryaHub manages the long RWA cycle — society resolutions, multi-stakeholder approvals, the 500 kW cap across common and resident plants, DCR/List-II equipment and the recurring AMC — in one place. SuryaHub is pre-revenue; real pilots are Suryantra Energy and RGESPL, and figures here are scheme facts, not guarantees.
Sources & references
The ₹18,000/kW common-facility rate, the 500 kW cap and the DCR condition come from primary government sources. Always confirm the current rates and conditions with your DISCOM and the National Portal.
- National Portal for PM Surya Ghar ↗
RWA / group-housing subsidy, the ₹18,000/kW rate and the 500 kW cap.
- Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) ↗
Scheme guidelines for common facilities and the DCR condition.
- Press Information Bureau (PIB) ↗
Government announcements on RWA and group-housing solar subsidy.
Written by the SuryaHub team · reviewed against MNRE & National Portal sources · updated 19 June 2026.
Method: The RWA/GHS subsidy rate, cap and DCR rule are taken from the government sources above and re-checked every 30 days. Subsidy figures are scheme facts, not guarantees — verify current with your DISCOM / MNRE. SuryaHub is pre-revenue; only Suryantra Energy and RGESPL are real pilots.
Change log: 19 Jun 2026 — first published.