Cut down on your power bill, get 300 units of free power through rooftop solar electricity scheme

HYDERABAD: If you have a rooftop that could accommodate a solar power unit and wish to spend 300 units of electricity per month you may be eligible for the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’ a centrally sponsored scheme.

The scheme worth Rs 75,000 crore, is aimed at lighting up one crore households by providing up to 300 units of free electricity. The scheme was announced during the interim budget for 2024-25. The scheme also envisages direct transfer of subsidies and bank loans to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries without imposing a financial burden on the beneficiaries.

“The scheme is very beneficial for households that consume 300 units per month. They may not have to pay anything extra if they limit consumption to 300 units per month, “B Ashok Kumar Goud, President of Telangana Solar Energy Association said speaking to NewsTAP on Monday.

He said that as each solar rooftop panel was linked to the grid the extra power generated would go to the grid adding to the overall solar power generation of that particular State. He said that Discoms would take care of the grid connectivity and the net meter would show the total solar power generated from that particular household.

The Union Government launched a national online portal that would further allow the beneficiaries to apply online with all the required details, such as details of the State the beneficiary stayed, Discom, connection number, cell phone number, and email ID. If residing in south Telangana, click TSSPDCL and if north Telangana should click on TSNPDCL. After logging in, one must click on rooftop solar and apply for the benefit.

After approval, the central agency would send your application to the Discom concerned. After the permission of the Discom, the citizen could establish the solar unit on the roof. One could pick up their desired solar panel from the shortlisted companies provided by the Discom. Under rooftop installation, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels would be fixed atop a building, home, or residential property. After the net meter was established, the Discom would certify the new solar connection, and the subsidy amount would be released to the bank account furnished by the beneficiary.

How it works?

The rooftop solar initiative, which offers incentives for people to buy solar installations and feed energy back to the grid, could lead to savings of Rs 15,000 annually. A 3KV solar unit will provide 300 units of free power to the household that establishes the rooftop solar unit.

One may opt for a much larger KV unit but the subsidy will be limited to 3KV, out of the 10,000 households that opted for solar power rooftops in Telangana since the formation of the State, more than 96 percent are of the 3KV category.

Increased subsidy

Dumping the earlier quota system the Union Government increased the subsidy for the establishment of 3KV units from Rs 42,000 to Rs 78,000. Out of the Rs 1.80 lakh that the beneficiary spends on setting up the rooftop unit, Rs 78,000 will be deposited in his or her account as a subsidy. Earlier the subsidy was limited to Rs 14,000 per KV.