Archive · 3 Oct 2026
MCD Approves Rooftop Solar Plan for 1,100 Civic Buildings
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi plans to put solar panels on about 1,100 civic buildings.
Solar panels make electricity from sunlight.
IPGCL will check which buildings are suitable and help arrange the installations.
MCD already has 574 rooftop solar plants.
Officials say another 800 to 900 buildings may be suitable for solar systems.
For larger systems, a service company will pay for and look after the solar plant.
MCD will pay for the electricity it uses instead of buying the plant.
Extra electricity may be credited against power use at other MCD buildings.
MCD will still look after its buildings and provide access for installation work.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi approved a unified rooftop solar plan covering approximately 1,100 civic buildings.
IPGCL will assess feasibility and arrange installations under the Delhi Solar Energy Policy, 2023.
MCD will drop its separate solar tender and use the state power department’s framework.
MCD has installed 574 rooftop solar plants with a combined capacity of 13.25 MWp; another 800 to 900 buildings may be suitable.
The plan uses CAPEX funding for systems up to 25 kW and a RESCO model for larger systems, avoiding direct capital expenditure by MCD.
- Who
- The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited, under the Delhi government’s solar framework.
- What
- Approval of a unified plan to assess and install rooftop solar systems at approximately 1,100 MCD properties.
- When
- The proposal was cleared at an MCD House Meeting on Tuesday and officials announced it on Thursday; no calendar date is stated.
- Where
- Eligible Municipal Corporation of Delhi buildings and properties in Delhi.
- Why
- To implement rooftop solar under the Delhi Solar Energy Policy, 2023, while avoiding direct capital expenditure by MCD and reducing electricity costs.
Expected benefits
Responsibilities and limits
Costs and savings
Expected benefits
The plan is intended to avoid direct capital expenditure by MCD, shift financing and plant upkeep to IPGCL or third-party firms, and reduce electricity expenses through solar power and net metering.
Responsibilities and limits
MCD will still pay for the electricity it uses and remain responsible for routine roof repairs, building maintenance and providing access for installation work.
Project scale and readiness
Expected benefits
Officials say the programme covers around 1,100 MCD properties, and assessments have identified 800 to 900 buildings that could potentially host grid-connected systems.
Responsibilities and limits
The 800-to-900 figure describes potential suitability, while installations depend on feasibility assessments; the reports do not say that all 1,100 systems have already been installed.
- Planned coverage
- Approximately 1,100 MCD properties
- Existing installations
- 574 rooftop solar photovoltaic plants
- Existing capacity
- 13.25 MWp
- Potential additional sites
- 800 to 900 municipal buildings identified as potentially suitable
- Implementing agency
- Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited (IPGCL)
- Systems up to 25 kW
- IPGCL will install them under a CAPEX model and provide five years of free maintenance, according to one report.
- Larger systems
- RESCO model: a third party sets up, operates and maintains the plant, while MCD buys the electricity at a pre-agreed tariff.
- Group net metering
- Surplus generation may be credited against electricity use at other MCD buildings within the same distribution company area; the reported average credit rate is around Rs 5 per unit.
