The Union government is set to roll out a new scheme to boost rooftop solar installations, the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.
Taking to X platform, the prime minister said that under the scheme 10 million households would get rooftop solar installations.
“Today, on the auspicious occasion of the consecration of life in Ayodhya, my resolve has been further strengthened that the people of India should have their own solar roof top system on the roof of their houses. The first decision I have taken after returning from Ayodhya is that our government will launch ‘Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana’ with the target of installing rooftop solar on 1 crore houses,” he said.
PM Modi said the scheme will help cut electricity bills for the poor and middle class. In addition, the middle class would also make India self-reliant in the field of energy.
Modi on Monday chaired a meeting with officials of the ministries of new & renewable energy and power, and the prime minister’s office.
During the meeting, Modi directed officials to start a national campaign to mobilize residential consumers to adopt rooftop solar in large numbers, said people in the know.
The scheme comes at a time when rooftop solar installations are yet to pick up momentum. In May last year, Parliament’s standing committee on energy had said that against a target of 40 GW to be achieved by the end of 2022, only 5.87 GW of rooftop solar projects was installed, which is less than 15% of the target.
Currently grid-connected solar rooftop capacity stands at 11.08 GW out of the total solar capacity of 72.31 GW, according to the ministry of new and renewable energy.
Under the government’s energy transition plans, solar power is expected make up 292 GW out of a total renewable capacity of 500 GW by 2030.
Commenting on the development, Shreya Mishra, chief executive officer, SolarSquare, a rooftop solar company said: “Today, less than 1% homes in India have solar, but this story is about to change.
There is deep interest from consumers in becoming energy independent with solar and India should soon join the ranks of advanced residential solar markets like Germany, Australia and Brazil in home solar adoption.”
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