The move is aimed at removing the primary challenge in the adoption of systems and hastening adoption of rooftop solar under scheme ahead of its March 2027 target of reaching 10 million households. So far, four million households across the country have benefited from the scheme.
Once the system is launched, a quick response (QR) code will start appearing in all outreach initiatives of the scheme.
The proposed WhatsApp bot will enable consumers to enter details such as sanctioned electricity load and last billed amount in a form and receive an estimate of the subsidy available under the scheme not just from the Centre but also from the states.
Once the details on state and district are provided by the consumer, it will provide estimated subsidies and savings in the system’s lifetime.
The options for top five vendors for installation will show up with a message and call back facility. For the full vendor list, the bot will direct consumers to the national portal for the scheme. “Once people get through this, there is an efficient backend system which will be able to see that they went through the process of selecting a vendor. But at whichever step they stop, they can then be reached out for further help if needed,” said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified. The idea is to give easy first access to the scheme, wherein a consumer does not need to go to the portal for the registration to get a system installed. It is likely to garner the interest of potential consumers who were concerned and unaware of the costs, processes and eligibility under the scheme, according to one of the persons cited earlier.