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The Government approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) on 31 July 2026 to develop 5,000 MW of Floating Solar Photovoltaic capacity with co-located energy storage, at an outlay of Rs 5,070 crore.
Each project must carry storage of at least two hours, adding up to 10,000 MWh, so that solar output can be shifted to peak demand hours; the scheme runs from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.
The scheme rests on a National Institute of Solar Energy assessment putting India's floating solar potential at about 102.18 GWp across reservoirs and inland water bodies, against a current floating solar base of only about 700 MW.
India's installed solar capacity reached 162.15 GW on 30 June 2026, up more than fiftyfold from about 3 GW in 2014, with 44.61 GW added in FY 2025-26 alone.
Solar module manufacturing capacity rose from 2.3 GW in 2014 to about 172 GW as of 31 March 2026, and total non-fossil fuel capacity reached 283.46 GW.
Add 5,000 MW of floating solar capacity on existing reservoirs and industrial ponds so that generation does not compete for scarce land, while integrated storage improves grid reliability
Key: Outlay Rs 5,070 crore; each project needs at least two hours of co-located storage (10,000 MWh in total); nodal ministry MNRE, implementing agency SECI; open to all States and Union Territories
Establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating the policy conditions for large-scale deployment; one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change
Key: Original target of 20 GW by 2022, raised to 100 GW in 2015; implemented in three phases, and the mission SECI was created to serve
Take rooftop solar directly to households through subsidy plus collateral-free loans, delivered through a dedicated national portal
Key: Outlay Rs 75,021 crore; described as the world's largest domestic rooftop solar programme; over 43 lakh households solarised as of June 2026 and Rs 14,771.82 crore released as Central Financial Assistance till December 2025
Solarise agriculture through standalone solar pumps, feeder-level solarisation and decentralised plants on farmers' land, giving reliable daytime irrigation power and cutting diesel use
Key: Targets about 34,800 MW by 2026-27 with central support of Rs 34,422 crore; nearly 11.49 lakh off-grid solar pumps installed and over 21.77 lakh farmers benefited
Give developers ready land and shared infrastructure, including transmission, so utility-scale projects can be built quickly
Key: Launched with a 20 GW target, expanded to 40 GW in 2017; 54 parks with 39,188 MW sanctioned capacity approved as of February 2026, led by Gujarat (7 parks, 12,150 MW) and Rajasthan (11 parks, 10,726 MW)
Build transmission capacity to move power from renewable-rich regions to demand centres and integrate variable generation into the grid
Key: Had enabled evacuation of 24,567.8 MW of renewable energy as of February 2026; projects across ten states are planned to carry around 44 GW
Build domestic manufacturing across the solar value chain and cut import dependence
Key: Initial outlay Rs 4,500 crore, expanded in 2022 with a further Rs 19,500 crore; had attracted about Rs 35,000 crore of investment and roughly 10,000 direct jobs by October 2024
Quality-assurance framework for solar PV modules and cells used in government-supported and competitively bid projects
Key: Only listed manufacturers and models qualify for eligible projects, which simultaneously enforces quality standards and supports domestic manufacturing
Oblige distribution companies and other obligated entities to buy a fixed share of their power from renewable sources, creating assured demand
Key: Trajectory notified through 2029-30; the target for 2026-27 is 35.95 per cent
Nodal ministry for renewable energy, including PM-SSY, PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM, the Solar Parks Scheme and the Green Energy Corridor
Central Public Sector Undertaking under MNRE set up on 20 September 2011 to implement the National Solar Mission; runs the e-Reverse Auction tariff discovery process and is the implementing agency for PM-SSY. It received Navratna status on 30 August 2024
Apex national R&D institute for solar energy - testing, certification, standardisation, skilling and resource assessment. Its assessment of about 102.18 GWp of floating solar potential is the basis for PM-SSY. Created in 2013 by converting the earlier Solar Energy Centre into an autonomous institute under MNRE
Treaty-based intergovernmental organisation co-founded by India and France at COP21 in Paris in 2015 to accelerate solar deployment and technology sharing; the first such organisation headquartered in India. 119 countries have signed its Framework Agreement and 99 have ratified it to become full members
| Aspect | PM-SSY (2026) | PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (2024) | PM-KUSUM (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who benefits | States and UTs, through utility-scale projects on reservoirs | Households installing rooftop solar | Farmers - solar pumps and plants on farm land |
| Where the panels go | Floating on existing reservoirs and industrial ponds | On residential rooftops | Standalone pumps, feeder solarisation, decentralised plants |
| Financial size | Rs 5,070 crore | Rs 75,021 crore | Rs 34,422 crore of central support |
| Capacity target | 5,000 MW with 10,000 MWh of storage | Rooftop solar for crore-scale household coverage | About 34,800 MW by 2026-27 |
| Distinctive feature | Storage is mandatory - at least two hours per project | Subsidy plus collateral-free loans via a national portal | Farmers may sell surplus power to DISCOMs where eligible |
FSPV mounts solar panels on buoyant platforms anchored on a water body - a reservoir, canal top or industrial pond - instead of on land. Because land acquisition is the single biggest constraint on utility-scale solar in India, putting capacity on water that is already impounded avoids that fight entirely. The water also cools the modules, which raises their efficiency slightly, and the panel cover reduces evaporation from the reservoir. The weakness of solar is that it produces only while the sun shines, which is not when demand peaks; PM-SSY answers that by making at least two hours of battery storage compulsory at each project, so the same plant can serve the evening peak.
Simple Analogy: A rooftop is free space above a house. A reservoir is free space above water - and PM-SSY adds a battery so the electricity generated at noon can be spent at eight in the evening.
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission launched, initially targeting 20 GW by 2022
Solar Energy Corporation of India set up under MNRE to implement the National Solar Mission
Installed solar capacity about 3 GW; solar module manufacturing capacity 2.3 GW
National Solar Mission target raised to 100 GW; India and France launch the International Solar Alliance at COP21, Paris
Solar Parks Scheme target expanded from 20 GW to 40 GW; record-low tariff of Rs 2.44 per unit discovered at the Bhadla Solar Park auction
PM-KUSUM launched for agriculture; ALMM quality framework introduced
PLI Scheme for High Efficiency Solar PV Modules launched with Rs 4,500 crore; Panchamrit goals announced at COP26; GGI-OSOWOG launched with the UK
PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana launched with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore
Cabinet approves the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana for 5,000 MW of floating solar with storage
PM-SSY exists because utility-scale solar competes with agriculture, forest and habitation for land. Floating solar, canal-top solar and rooftop solar are all answers to the same constraint
The compulsory two-hour storage in PM-SSY, the Green Energy Corridor and Renewable Purchase Obligations all address one problem - renewable power that is variable, distant from demand, and needs an assured buyer
The PLI scheme and ALMM together turn a deployment programme into an industrial policy, taking module manufacturing capacity from 2.3 GW in 2014 to about 172 GW by March 2026
The Panchamrit goals from COP26 - 500 GW non-fossil capacity by 2030 and net zero by 2070 - are the framework every solar scheme is measured against, through India's updated NDCs under the Paris Agreement
GS Paper 3 > Infrastructure: Energy; Conservation and Environmental Impact
General Awareness > Government Schemes and Static GK
General Awareness > Government Schemes and Economy
Renewable energy schemes and targets appear almost every year in UPSC Prelims and in SSC/Railway general awareness
Solar panels mounted on buoyant structures anchored on a reservoir or pond rather than on land
Battery or other storage co-located with a generator so that power produced at one hour can be delivered at another; PM-SSY mandates a minimum of two hours
Approved List of Models and Manufacturers - a 2019 quality framework restricting eligible government-supported and competitively bid projects to listed solar modules and cells
A mandate on distribution companies and other obligated entities to source a fixed share of electricity from renewables; the 2026-27 target is 35.95 per cent
The average cost per unit of electricity over a plant's lifetime; India's utility-scale solar LCOE was USD 35 per MWh in 2025 against a global average of USD 44 per MWh
India's five climate commitments announced at COP26 in Glasgow, including 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030 and net zero by 2070