Rooftop Solar Units

It is interesting to note that the concept of the installation of rooftop solar plants has picked up pace in Assam and that a section of people have already taken advantage of a government scheme and started drawing direct financial benefits from them. Installation of rooftop solar plants comes under the Prime Minister’s Surya Ghar Yojana. This central government scheme aims to provide free electricity to households that install solar panels on their rooftops. Launched on February 15, 2024, the scheme provides subsidies to households to install rooftop solar panels and consists of a subsidy to cover up to 40 percent of the cost of the panels. Expected to benefit one crore households across the country within a couple of years, it is estimated that the scheme will save the government about Rs 75,000 crore per year in electricity costs. As reported in the Sunday edition of this newspaper, as many as 470 rooftop solar plants with a cumulative generation capacity of 1.8 MW have already been installed in Assam since the launch of the scheme. According to the government, the lifespan of a rooftop solar unit is around 25 years, and a beneficiary will be able to recover the investment made in the installation of the plant within two years. What is most important is that the beneficiary will generate free electricity up to 300 units per month for the next 23 years, while the excess power generated can be sold to the APDCL. While both the central and state governments offer subsidies ranging from Rs 48,000 to Rs 1.30 lakh based on the capacity of the plant in this scheme, APDCL has already trained over 100 solar technicians to help the households install the solar panels. A rooftop solar panel can be commissioned within three days after the completion of installations, providing smart meters free of charge to beneficiaries without any additional costs. Rooftop solar panels have the potential to revolutionise India’s energy landscape by offering a sustainable, decentralised, and affordable solution to meet the country’s growing electricity needs and making consumers self-reliant.