Industry Updates

The funds allocated for the fiscal year 2023-24 amount to ₹20 crore, with ₹255 crore and ₹240 crore earmarked for the subsequent years, totaling a commitment of ₹515 crore over the three-year period.

New Delhi: The Central government has received the President of India’s approval to implement solar energy projects worth ₹24,104 crore to electrify one lakh households in Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) across 18 states, as per the latest order from the ministry of new & . This scheme, part of the Prime Minister’s Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), represents a significant leap towards the goal of sustainable energy access for all.

In a statement released by the ministry, it was detailed that the central government’s share of the investment stands at ₹15,336 crore, with the states contributing ₹8,768 crore. The scheme is set to be rolled out over three years, from 2023-24 to 2025-26, aiming to provide off-grid systems to tribal households in remote areas where traditional electricity infrastructure is not viable.

The funds allocated for the fiscal year 2023-24 amount to ₹20 crore, with ₹255 crore and ₹240 crore earmarked for the subsequent years, totaling a commitment of ₹515 crore over the three-year period.

According to the order, the project includes the installation of 0.3 kW solar off-grid systems priced at ₹50,000 per household, and the introduction of solar street lighting and lighting in 1,500 Multi-Purpose Centres (MPCs) in areas beyond the reach of the conventional grid. The financial outlay for these components is ₹500 crore for the solar systems and ₹15 crore for the MPC lighting facilities.

This initiative is expected to pave the way for India’s energy transformation, particularly in enhancing the living standards of tribal communities through the provision of clean and reliable electricity. The move is also aligned with India’s global commitments to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its energy mix under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

source : economictimes

After PMO’s missive, UPNEDA devises multi-pronged strategy to achieve feat, ₹225 cr govt subsidy to be disbursed to customers

The Uttar Pradesh government is going to start a high-voltage campaign very soon to install solar rooftops on 25,000 households in Varanasi city in just two months’ time in a groundbreaking initiative aimed at promoting green and sustainable energy practices in PM Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

The campaign, according to officials in the know of things, is being launched after the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) recently wrote a letter to the U.P. government, desiring such an action in Varanasi city. The central and the state governments, it is estimated, will have to shell out a subsidy of ₹150 crore and ₹75 crore respectively to 25,000 households that purchase solar panels.

“We have already prepared a multi-pronged strategy to achieve the goal of installing 25,000 solar rooftops in Varanasi in just two months as desired by the PMO,” Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) director Anupam Shukla confirmed, adding, “The campaign will be kicked off very soon.”

A solar rooftop on-grid system is a type of solar energy system connected to the main electrical grid. In this system highly subsidised by the government, solar panels are installed on the roof of a building to convert sunlight into electricity.

Any excess electricity that is generated by solar panels is sent back to the grid through the bidirectional meter and the user concerned is paid for that excess power by way of adjustment in their power bills.

As of now, Varanasi boasts only 664 rooftop consumers (588 of them residential) with connected load of 27 MW, despite having approximately 3.26 lakh electricity connections and 2.25 lakh households. The ambitious project is spearheaded by the UPNEDA, serving as the nodal agency for this significant task.

The strategy devised by UPNEDA to install solar rooftops at 25,000 households in Varanasi city encompasses a multifaceted approach, including an extensive publicity campaign to raise awareness among residents, coupled with meticulous logistics and supply arrangements.

“The 25,000-household rooftop installation target in Varanasi city in two months has been strategized by keeping a target of solarising around 250 houses in each 100 wards of the city with the Remote Sensing Application Centre, Lucknow, assisting UPNEDA in finding houses having substantial space and shadow free area, using Geospatial technology,” another official revealed.

Considering the significance of the campaign, 10 project officers (POs) of UPNEDA will be stationed in Varanasi for next two months to oversee the implementation of the programme (1 project officer for every 10 wards of the Varanasi Municipal Corporation).

UPNEDA has also finalised 100 solar panel vendors, 25 manufacturers and distributors, five invertors manufacturers, two net meter manufacturers that will set up their offices in Varanasi city to install solar rooftops.

As a part of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign, bulk messaging will be sent to around 3 lakh power consumers, and pamphlets will be distributed to as many consumers.

Workforce of 500 ‘Suryamitras’ (ITI diploma holders in solar) trained by UPNEDA will be deployed in 100 wards for customer acquisition and radio jingles, print media advertisements and cinema hall bytes will also be used for faster outreach.

“Door-to-door outreach programs along with booth camps will be organised for detailed information to customers and applicants to encourage them to install solar rooftops at their buildings,” the official said. “A QR code too has been developed by UPNEDA and the same will be distributed to consumers for easy registration,” he added.

He further said arrangements for easy financing for customers and vendors had also been made. The state government, it is learnt, may launch similar campaigns in some other cities in the months to come, depending on the Kashi experience.

source : hindustantimes

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced an increase in the Central Financial Assistance (CFA) under the rooftop solar scheme (Phase-II) for different categories of residential consumers. The ministry said that the new rates will be applicable for projects undertaken either through the tender mode or through applications received through the National portal for Rooftop Solar.

As per the new notification, MNRE will grant a CFA of Rs 18,000 per KW for residential solar rooftop projects between 1-3 KW capacity. This contrasts with the existing CFA grant of Rs 14,588/KW. With the revision of the CFA grants under this category, any consumer applying for a central subsidy will be eligible for an increased CFA per KW.

Similarly, the ministry has revised the rates for rooftop solar projects between 3KW and 10KW from Rs 7,294/KW to Rs 9000/KW, registering an increased allocation. For the special states, the subsidies have been revised, too. For special status, the central subsidy for residential rooftop projects between 1-3KW stands at Rs 20,000/KW, and for the projects above 3 KW but below 10 KW, the total subsidy will be Rs 10,000/KW, the latest notification from the ministry said.

It also added that for the Resident Welfare Associations/Group Housing Societies, for common facilities up to 500 KW with a ceiling of 10KW per household, the ministry will give a grant of Rs 9,000 per KW for general states and Rs 10,000/KW for special states.
Special states include North-East States, including Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and UTs – Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The ministry said that the new rates will be applicable for all future bids and bids which are scheduled to be closed after 15 days after the issue of the notice. It also added that the new benchmark CFA rates will be applicable for all claims submitted in the National Portal for Rooftop Solar.

“The implementing agencies (discoms/SIAs, etc) shall be required to mandatorily carry out the tendering process for discovery of rates and empanelment of vendors for implementation of capacity allotted by the MNRE as per extant guidelines issued. In such cases (tender mode), the admissible CFA shall be restricted to the (o) revised bench market CFA or (ii) the admissible CFA as per the discovery rate (i.e 40% for 1-3 KW, 20% for above 3-10 KW, whichever is lower…” the notice said.

source : saurenergy