India Launches Model Solar Villages and 5 GW Floating Scheme

The Bihar state government announced plans to create a Model Solar Village in every district under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar scheme. The Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) issued a tender for a consultancy to prepare detailed project reports covering rooftop solar, community solar plants, battery storage, solar‑powered public infrastructure and other clean‑energy technologies. The aim is to make villages energy‑self‑sufficient, lower electricity costs and generate replicable models for wider rural solarisation.

The Union Cabinet approved a new 5 GW floating solar programme with integrated energy storage under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM‑SSY). The scheme provides central financial assistance of INR 1 crore per MW and up to INR 50 lakh per project for feasibility studies, targeting a minimum two‑hour storage capacity (10,000 MWh total). It will deploy floating solar PV on reservoirs and industrial ponds, create an estimated 16,000‑17,000 full‑time jobs and support domestic manufacturing of flotation systems and storage components.