India drafts cybersecurity rules for rooftop solar monitoring systems – pv magazine International

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released draft guidelines outlining the data communication and cybersecurity architecture for remote monitoring systems (RMS) used in grid-connected rooftop solar installations.

July 25, 2025
Uma Gupta

A rooftop solar array at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in Kalyani. The Indian government has ambitious targets for rooftop installations.

Image: Shuvendu Khan

From pv magazine India

India’s MNRE has released draft guidelines outlining the data communication and cybersecurity architecture for remote monitoring systems (RMS) used in grid-connected rooftop solar installations. The guidelines aim to ensure standardized, secure, and interoperable data exchange for residential rooftop solar systems deployed under the government’s PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy scheme.

The guidelines mandate that all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) supplying inverters under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana must connect their inverters directly to the national servers and software managed by the MNRE or a designated agency. This move follows concerns over grid stability and cybersecurity risks posed by the planned integration of 10 million rooftop solar systems, with a cumulative capacity of 30 GW.

MNRE has also mandated that all inverter communication devices including dongles and data loggers use machine-to-machine (M2M) SIMs for secure and reliable data transmission.

The ministry said that the integration of 10 million rooftop solar systems under the scheme introduces significant grid stability and cybersecurity challenges. Inverter communication modules that transmit data to servers outside India not only pose risks of unauthorized control but also threaten national energy sovereignty by exposing sensitive power consumption and generation data.

Further, million of inverters communicating with third-party OEM servers can be exploited to manipulate inverter operations, potentially leading to coordinated disruptions in power generation and grid instability.

The vendor-neutral and open communication protocol based data communication and security guidelines for rooftop solar system monitoring and control through the national portal, will be made available for integration testing of inverter communication devices from Sept. 1, 2025.

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