Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The state government is giving thrust to solar power through the installation of rooftop solar systems by private households as well as government offices. The installation of rooftop solar systems is now slowly picking up steam, as envisaged by the state government.
According to official sources, around 62 government offices have installed rooftop solar systems, which generate 4,509 KW of power. In the case of households, 13,162 households have installed rooftop solar systems generating around 38,000 KW of power. At present, Assam is placed in 12th place in the country in terms of installation of rooftop solar systems in households. Gujarat tops the list, followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Among the Northeastern states, barring Assam, Tripura has 263 households, Manipur 248, Mizoram 183, Meghalaya 19, Nagaland 8, Sikkim 4 and Arunachal Pradesh has zero solar systems installed on rooftops in households.
On the other hand, government buildings, including Janata Bhawan and Ministers' Colony, DGP (SB) office, GMCH, Assam State Museum, Bijulee Bhawan, Cotton Collegiate, as well as SP offices, colleges, and circle offices, have installed rooftop solar systems. Of these, the Janata Bhawan and Ministers' Colony generate 2,520 KW, and GMCH generates 1,400 KW.
The installation of rooftop solar panels is being implemented under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. Under this scheme, the target for installation of rooftop solar systems in Assam is 1 lakh households. The Assam government has an outlay of Rs 300 crores for the scheme. Subsidies are provided according to capacity - the Government of India provides between Rs 33,000 and 85,000 as a subsidy, while the Assam government provides a subsidy of Rs 15,000 to Rs 45,000 per household.
Sources said that earlier huge electricity bills had to be paid by Janata Bhawan. But after the installation of solar power plants, this burden of electricity bills has gone down. For households, they have to incur not a single penny for electricity; instead, the excess power generated is bought by APDCL.
The sources further said that several mega solar power projects are being implemented in the state. APDCL, in partnership with SJVN Green Energy Ltd, is setting up a 1,000 MW solar plant. Again, APDCL and NLC India Ltd are implementing a 1,000 MW solar power project. Apart from these, many other solar power projects are in the pipeline.
Also Read: Assam Generates 24 MW Electricity From Rooftop Solar Panels Under PM Surya Ghar Yojana: CM Sarma
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