Amid rising cybersecurity concerns linked to Chinese-origin components, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has made it mandatory for all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) supplying inverters under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to connect their devices directly to national servers and software platforms managed by the ministry or an authorised agency. The implementation date will be notified separately.

According to the official notification, the integration of 10 million rooftop solar systems under the scheme introduces significant challenges related to grid stability and cybersecurity. The ministry warned that inverter communication modules transmitting data to servers outside India pose risks of unauthorised control and could compromise national energy sovereignty by exposing sensitive power consumption and generation data.

“All OEMs enlisted for supplying inverters under the PM Surya Ghar scheme shall mandatorily connect their inverters directly to national servers and software managed by the ministry or any designated agency, with effect from the date to be notified,” the directive stated.

Inverters play a critical role in solar power systems by converting direct current (DC) generated by solar panels into alternating current (AC) usable by homes and businesses. They also support grid interaction, enabling the return of surplus power to the main grid.

The ministry has conducted multiple consultations with stakeholders to create a robust framework for tracking solar generation benefits. These discussions have focused on centralising rooftop solar data on a government-hosted national software platform located in India to monitor millions of inverters and safeguard grid reliability.

Additionally, the government has mandated that all inverter communication devices, including dongles and data loggers, must use machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM-based communication protocols to ensure secure and reliable data transmission.

The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in February 2024, aims to install rooftop solar systems on 10 million homes and add 30 GW of solar capacity. As of 15 July, over 1.545 million households have been covered under the scheme.

The directive follows the discovery of undocumented communication components inside some Chinese-manufactured inverters in May, which triggered national security concerns.

In recent years, the government has taken several measures to reduce dependence on Chinese imports in the renewable energy sector. These include raising import duties on solar modules and cells and launching incentive schemes to boost domestic manufacturing.