The Puducherry government has started disbursement of Union Territory’s share of ₹30,000 to the consumers of Electricity department who have installed rooftop solar power plants of capacity 3 kW and above. 

During an event held at Kamarajar Manimandam on Saturday, Minister for Home and Electricity A. Namassivayam inaugurated the disbursement of subsidy to around 3,333 consumers who have installed the 3 kW plant in their buildings. Minister for Adi Dravidar Welfare P. Rajavelu was also present. 

Besides the Union Territory’s share, the consumers who have opted for 3 kW rooftop solar plants would get a Central subsidy of ₹78,000 under Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. For the installation of 1 kW and 2 kW rooftop solar plants, consumers would get a subsidy of around ₹40,000 (₹30,000 from Centre and ₹10,000 from U.T.) and ₹80,000 (₹60,000 from Centre and ₹20,000 from U.T.) respectively. Mr. Namassivayam said the government had incurred an expenditure of ₹10 crore towards providing subsidy to 3,333 consumers.

The department has received 8,135 applications of which 6,452 rooftop solar installations have been completed with a total installed capacity of 23.32MW. A subsidy amounting to ₹40.99 crore has been disbursed to 5,295 beneficiaries. At present 80 vendors are registered and actively engaged in rooftop solar installations across the Union Territory, the release said.

A 3 kW rooftop solar power system could generate approximately 4,500 units of electricity annually, depending on solar radiation and the characteristics of the installation site. The installed solar systems are designed to operate for 25 years and more. Eligible beneficiaries under the scheme could obtain a bank loan at an interest rate of 5.75%, the release said. 

Power secretary A. Muthamma told The Hindu that around 13,000 residential consumers would be enrolled for installation of solar plants under the subsidy scheme on a first-come-first-served basis. Around 79 government buildings have already been provided with solar power panels and more would be covered in the days to come, she said. 

“The government’s decision to provide subsidy has certainly encouraged more people to join the scheme. More than 6,400 consumers have benefitted from the scheme so far and another 6,000 more would be added soon. We have a total installed capacity of 20.85 MW,” she said.