How PM Suryaghar is empowering India’s renewable energy revolution
Akshay Urja Day on August 20th, it's a great time to take pride in how far India has come in using renewable energy. It is also time to look at how advanced technologies are going to shape our future brighter. This day, marking the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, highlights the importance of renewable energy in our journey towards a cleaner, greener planet.
Solar Power in Indian Homes
India's use of solar energy has grown rapidly.
Our installed solar capacity reached 84.24 GW in May 2024, making India the third-largest producer of solar power globally. This shows our strong commitment towards using cleaner energy sources. The government's goal of reaching 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 underscores the importance of solar power for our future.
This will reduce our dependence on coal, cut imports, and make cleaner energy accessible to many people in India. However, the contribution of rooftop solar has been low at just ~17%. With the push from the SuryaGhar program, this contribution is expected to rise considerably in the next 2-3 years.
SuryaGhar: Bringing Solar Power to One Crore Homes
One of the most exciting projects in India's solar journey is the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
Launched in February 2024, this plan aims to bring solar power to one crore homes by offering rooftop solar installations with significant subsidies. Households can get up to Rs. 78,000 as a SuryaGhar subsidy for a 3 kW system.
Group housing societies can avail Rs. 18,000/kW as a subsidy for up to 500 kW. This means more people can afford solar power, and they can get free electricity with a much lower initial investment.
