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MNRE Finalises Open, Secure Communication Standards for Rooftop Solar Monitoring Under PM Surya Ghar

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released final, vendor-agnostic guidelines governing inverter communication devices, dongles, dataloggers, and Remote Monitoring Systems (RMS) to support secure, real-time monitoring of rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

The framework enables seamless integration of distributed rooftop solar assets with the government’s centralised IoT-based SCADA platform, ensuring consistent data visibility and operational oversight at scale.

The final guidelines build on Office Memoranda issued on July 21, 2025, which introduced mandatory compliance requirements for inverters and communication equipment and outlined the development of open-protocol, vendor-neutral monitoring standards. Following the release of draft versions, MNRE incorporated feedback from inverter manufacturers, solar developers, and system integrators before finalising the document.

Under the new framework, standardised communication protocols, uniform message formats, and common data models have been prescribed for grid-connected rooftop solar systems. These measures are intended to facilitate reliable and scalable integration of field-level solar assets with the national monitoring platform, irrespective of equipment supplier.

Strong emphasis has been placed on cybersecurity and data protection, with provisions for encryption, certificate-based authentication, controlled system access, and transaction-level safeguards. The guidelines support both real-time and near-real-time data exchange, enabling improved diagnostics, performance tracking, and operational efficiency while supporting overall grid stability.

To safeguard data sovereignty and regulatory control, MNRE has mandated that all data exchanges be routed through government-authorised infrastructure hosted within India. The architecture has been designed to remain adaptable, allowing future integration of additional devices, advanced analytics, control features, and evolving regulatory or grid requirements without requiring major system redesign.

According to the ministry, the guidelines are intended to serve as a single reference framework for developers and system integrators, promoting secure, interoperable, and standardised data exchange across India’s rapidly expanding rooftop solar ecosystem.