Mumbai, Aug. 28 -- The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has directed that data generated by solar inverters installed under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana must be stored within India. The Rooftop Solar Division issued the directive on 17 August 2026 to bolster energy data security and protect critical digital infrastructure. It applies to monitoring software, control servers and real time generation records for covered installations.
MNRE said system monitoring is essential for the rooftop solar programme because generation data helps consumers monitor performance, enables distribution companies to assess local output and allows government agencies to measure scheme progress. The ministry warned that routing inverter data to servers outside India could expose national energy information and create vulnerabilities that permit unauthorised access or remote manipulation of equipment. It therefore emphasised cybersecurity concerns as a central rationale.
Manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers must comply with existing operational requirements including Machine to Machine (M2M) SIM communication, standardised remote monitoring and automated data transmission to the National Portal. The directive requires monitoring software, control servers and real time data to be hosted in secure encrypted facilities located entirely within India and calls for inclusion of data logger warranties within the main inverter warranty. Firms must submit a written confirmation and undertaking to REC Limited with a copy to MNRE within 30 days.
The declaration must identify the physical locations of domestic data centres and name an authorised point of contact, and failure to submit within the deadline will bar manufacturers from installing systems under the scheme. Until state level server systems are fully operational firms must continue sending daily cumulative generation data to the National Portal linked to unique inverter serial numbers via standardised application programming interfaces. The new requirements are expected to strengthen cybersecurity, improve data sovereignty and reduce exposure to foreign cyber risks.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.