Rooftop solar scheme: 100,000 hands to be trained to put solar panels in homes
solar panels to support its plan of helping 10 million homes run on solar energy.
People aware of the development said the ministries of renewable energy and skill development and entrepreneurship have jointly framed a “skilling plan” for the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’, a government rooftop solar project that aims to help households generate 300 units of electricity through grid-connected solar panels.
The scheme, launched in February this year, offers subsidies of up to Rs 78,000 to those willing to install the solar power generating units. “The number of people to be trained may be increased, depending upon the requirement,” one of the persons cited earlier, said, adding that state-owned REC Ltd, which is also the nodal agency for the revamped rooftop solar programme, is likely to collaborate with centres like the National Power Training Institute and the National Skill Development Corporation for this.
Besides trained manpower, another challenge for such a scale of implementation would be the need for a large number of vendors. An official said the government is also looking to train 50,000 vendors for entrepreneurship.
According to the official, more vendors are expected to register on the national rooftop solar portal, unlike the current system of registering with the distribution companies.
The renewable energy ministry recently shifted to a new portal and will soon start the national vendor registration process. The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore,
