PSUs to charge up government's rooftop solar scheme
power sector companies such as NTPC, NHPC, Power Grid Corporation and SJVN to support its efforts to push households to adopt the rooftop solar programme.
Guidelines to be announced soon would allow these public sector units to cover the installation cost for the solar systems and offer a rent for using the rooftop of houses having a low power demand to make the proposition attractive, people privy to the plan told ET. The companies could recover the investment by the sale of excess electricity after the consumption by the households.
«The companies will form subsidiaries to implement the rooftop project plan.
Roof rent will help lower income houses to move to the rooftop solar projects,» a senior government official told ET.
The move comes after the ministry of new and renewable energy raised the central financial assistance for the rooftop solar programme.
REC to be nodal agency
For getting subsidy under existing regulations, residential consumers must install rooftop solar plants from one of the vendors registered by the distribution company of their locality.
A wider choice and enhanced support could help bring more consumers, who already get subsidised electricity, into the ambit of rooftop solar, another official said.
There will be designated companies for each state to implement the programme. A consumer could put in a request to join the programme by calling a phone number, a senior government official said.
The move is expected to significantly increase the number of installations as cost is a major hurdle for the residential sector, especially in houses with 1-3 kW load.
Currently, a rooftop project costs a minimum of Rs 50,000 per kW to set up. The cost per kW reduces as capacity goes higher.
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