A different subsidy slab
Individual flat owners can claim the residential slab for their own connection. The society, as a separate entity, claims under a different one: ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities, available up to 500 kW of capacity, with eligible capacity linked to the number of dwelling units.
The two are not alternatives — a flat owner claiming for their own meter does not use up the society's entitlement for the common-area system. They are separate applications for separate connections.
What a society system actually offsets
Common-area load, and only common-area load: lifts, water pumps, corridor and parking lighting, security systems, the clubhouse, the gate. These run on the society's own connection, paid for out of maintenance charges, which is why a common-area system reduces what every member pays without touching anyone's individual meter.
It does not generate power for individual flats. If members expect their personal bills to fall, that expectation needs correcting early — it is the most common source of disappointment after commissioning.
What the committee has to settle
- An AGM resolution authorising the installation and the spend
- Who signs — the society is a registered entity under the Gujarat Cooperative Societies Act, 1973
- That the common-area connection and sanctioned load are in the society's name
- Roof rights: whether the terrace is common property, and whether any part is already allotted or leased
- How the cost is funded — sinking fund, one-time levy, or financing
The roof is more contested than it looks
Society terraces are rarely empty. Water tanks, lift machine rooms, staircase headroom, mobile tower leases, satellite dishes and residents' informal storage all take space, and towers shade each other at different times of year. Usable shadow-free area on a society roof is often a fraction of its total area, and the honest number only comes from a site visit.
Existing mobile tower leases deserve particular attention. They occupy prime unshaded space, they carry contractual obligations, and they occasionally conflict with the array layout.
What a committee-ready proposal contains
A proposal that a committee can actually evaluate — and defend to members at an AGM — should show the common-area consumption it is sized against, the usable roof area it assumes, the expected generation, the subsidy the society is eligible for, the net cost after subsidy, and what happens after commissioning: who services it, how faults are reported, and what the response looks like.
A single headline savings figure with none of that behind it is not a proposal. It is a quote.
The sequence
Site assessment and load review, proposal, AGM approval, DISCOM feasibility and net metering application, installation, inspection, commissioning, then the subsidy claim. The AGM step is usually the longest, and it is worth scheduling the site assessment well before the meeting so the committee has real numbers to put to members rather than an estimate.
Subsidy rates and eligibility conditions are reviewed periodically. Confirm the current position before putting figures to your members.