MNRE December 2026 Deadline has extended. The ALMM List-II exemption until December 31, 2026. Learn who qualifies, what the deadline means, and how to avoid losing your subsidy.

If you’ve been “meaning to get around to” your rooftop solar installation, MNRE just quietly moved the goalposts — and most homeowners haven’t noticed yet.

On 18 July 2026, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued a memorandum extending an exemption that lets net-metering and open-access solar projects use existing (largely imported) solar cell supply chains — but only until 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, every new net-metered rooftop project, including PM Surya Ghar installations, must use solar cells sourced exclusively from MNRE’s ALMM List-II. No exceptions, no case-by-case relief.

That’s not a scare headline. It’s the actual text of the memorandum. And because a rooftop solar installation isn’t something that happens overnight, the practical window to act on it is closer to four months, not five and a half.

This guide breaks down exactly what changed, what it means for your subsidy, and — because almost nobody sizing a system or reading their first bill has been told this — why your electricity bill still won’t hit zero even after installation, thanks to fixed charges, export/import accounting, and an annual settlement cycle that can quietly erase your banked solar credits.

What MNRE Actually Changed on 18 July 2026

To understand the deadline, you need to understand ALMM — the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers.

MNRE maintains two separate lists:

• ALMM List-I — approved solar modules (panels)
• ALMM List-II — approved solar cells (the components inside the panel)

For years, only List-I compliance was mandatory for most residential rooftop systems. That changed when MNRE announced that from 1 June 2026, net-metering and open-access projects would also need List-II-compliant cells — a much stricter, domestic-sourcing-only requirement, since India’s List-II-certified cell manufacturing capacity is still scaling up.

Industry pushback followed almost immediately. Developers argued that jumping straight to mandatory domestic cells before supply caught up with demand would spike costs and stall installations. MNRE held firm on the policy but granted temporary, case-by-case relief through May and June 2026.

Then, in the 18 July memorandum, MNRE went further: it pushed the List-II exemption for net-metering and open-access projects out to 31 December 2026, superseding the earlier May–June notifications. In plain terms:

• Commission your net-metered system on or before 31 December 2026 → you can still use panels built with existing (non-List-II) solar cells.
• Commission from 1 January 2027 onward → your panels must be built with ALMM List-II-approved cells, full stop.

MNRE was explicit that this is a temporary, project-specific relaxation — not a rollback of the domestic manufacturing push. So don’t expect another extension announcement in December; treat this one as final.

Why Did MNRE Extend the Rule?

The extension is intended to provide industry participants with additional time while India’s domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity continues to expand.

According to MNRE, the exemption is:

• Temporary
• Limited to specified project categories
• Not a rollback of the domestic manufacturing policy
• Designed to support a smoother transition to ALMM List-II compliance

Read More: “How to Read Your Solar Net Metering Bill“

Why You Really Only Have 4 Months to Act

Technically, today’s date is more than five months before 31 December 2026. So why “4 months”?

Because the deadline in the memorandum is a commissioning deadline — not an application deadline. Commissioning is the final step, where the DISCOM inspects your installation, signs off, and swaps in your bidirectional net meter. Everything before that — application, feasibility approval, installation, and inspection — has to happen first.

Based on typical end-to-end timelines reported across DISCOMs in 2026, here’s the realistic runway:

Stage	Typical Duration
Application + feasibility approval	15–30 days
Vendor selection + installation	30–45 days
Net meter application + DISCOM inspection	30–45 days
Total (application to commissioning)	75–120 days

What is ALMM List-II?

ALMM stands for:

Approved List of Models and Manufacturers

The policy has two important components:

ALMM List-I

Covers approved solar PV modules.

ALMM List-II

Covers approved solar PV cells manufactured according to MNRE requirements.

The government’s long-term objective is to increase domestic manufacturing and reduce dependence on imported solar cells.

Why the MNRE December 2026 Deadline Matters

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set 31 December 2026 as the cutoff for net metering and open access RE projects to commission without full compliance to ALMM List-II (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers for solar PV cells).

After this date, stricter domestic content requirements kick in, potentially increasing panel costs and limiting options. This extension (from an earlier May 2026 cutoff) gives installers and homeowners a final window for more affordable, compliant-yet-flexible systems.

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana itself targets 1 crore installations by March 2027, with subsidies still available but new registrations possibly winding down.

Key takeaway: Act before December 31, 2026, to lock in better pricing, smoother approvals, and full subsidy eligibility. Verify Approved Panels and Manufacturers on the MNRE Official Site.

Does This Affect PM Surya Ghar?

If your rooftop solar installation is linked to the PM Surya Ghar ecosystem, staying informed about MNRE’s compliance timelines is important.

While subsidy eligibility depends on meeting the applicable program requirements, the broader ALMM compliance framework influences equipment procurement and project execution. Consumers should always verify the latest guidelines with their installer and the official scheme portal before proceeding.

The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy itself (up to ₹78,000 for a 3 kW+ residential system) is running against a national installation target of 1 crore households by 31 March 2027 — a separate timeline from the ALMM List-II exemption. The ₹78,000 cap, the DBT disbursement process, and the scheme’s core eligibility rules aren’t changing on 31 December.

What does connect the two:

• Every PM Surya Ghar installation must already use ALMM-listed equipment to qualify for the subsidy.
• If List-II sourcing becomes mandatory for your project after 31 December 2026 and List-II supply is still tight, your effective system cost could rise even though the ₹78,000 subsidy figure stays the same — quietly shrinking the discount the subsidy is supposed to deliver.
• Scheme budgets are finite. As more homeowners rush to commission before the ALMM cut-off, demand on installers, DISCOM inspection teams, and the subsidy disbursement pipeline all rise together in Q4 2026.

What Happens After December 31, 2026?

For eligible projects commissioned after the deadline:

• ALMM List-I approved modules will continue to be required.
• ALMM List-II approved solar cells will also be required.
• The exemption window will no longer apply unless the government announces a future policy change.

Your Action Plan: Beating the December 31 Deadline

1. Check your sanctioned load and roof feasibility this week. Don’t wait for a vendor to prompt you — pull your last bill and confirm your sanctioned load supports your target system size.
2. Apply on the PM Surya Ghar National Portal now, not in October. Application-to-commissioning realistically eats 75–120 days; starting in the next four weeks gives you a real buffer against the Q4 rush.
3. Confirm your vendor is quoting ALMM-listed equipment currently in stock — not equipment they expect to source closer to your installation date. Sourcing delays are the most common reason installations slip past a compliance cut-off.
4. Size for 80–90% of your annual consumption, not maximum roof coverage, to reduce the amount of export credit exposed to your state’s annual settlement rules.
5. Ask your installer for the exact fixed-charge, wheeling-charge, and duty line items you’ll still owe post-installation — get real numbers, not a “your bill will be near zero” verbal promise.
6. Keep your commissioning certificate and net-meter installation date on file — you’ll need them if your first 1–2 bills show incorrect import/export readings, which is common and correctable.

Frequently Asked Questions