Assam homes supply 31 Mn solar units to APDCL under PM Surya Ghar Scheme
APDCL sources surplus solar power from 52,000 households under PM Surya Ghar scheme, easing grid demand
APDCL (Representational Image)
Guwahati, Nov 8: As the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) – the world’s largest subsidized domestic rooftop solar initiative – picks up in Assam, APDCL has imported over 31 million units of excess solar power generated from residential installations which have become functional since April this year.
The discom has adopted a net-metering mechanism for residential consumers with rooftop solar capacity up to 10 KW wherein the solar units exported by the consumers to the grid are being adjusted against unit consumption from the grid.
“Consumers who have installed the rooftop systems use only a portion of the power generated during the day. The excess power generated is exported to APDCL which is later adjusted to the unit consumption of the consumer. The discom has imported over 31 million units so far from the installed systems,” an official said.
The current peak demand for power in Assam is around 1,733 MW, and only around 315 MW is being met by own generation (APGCL).
To meet the demand, it has to rely on purchased power.
Over 52,000 households have installed solar panels so far in Assam, with an aggregate capacity of nearly 200 MW. More than 3.5 lakh applications are still pending and are being handled by 1,013 empanelled vendors.
Assam has been ranked eight among the list of states which have completed the maximum number of installations. With over 4.5 lakh installations, Gujarat tops the list. Chandigarh and Daman & Diu have achieved 100 per cent of their government building rooftop solar targets.
Within the state, Barpeta district leads the number of installations (4,625).
The scheme provides households with free electricity through the installation of subsidized rooftop solar panels, significantly reducing their energy costs. Additionally, consumers have the opportunity to earn extra income by selling surplus power generated by their rooftop solar systems to discoms.
At current benchmark prices, around Rs 45,000 subsidy (both Central and State combined) is given for 1KW system, Rs 90,000 for 2KW system and Rs 1.23 lakh for 3KW system on residential rooftop plants in the State.