PRAYAGRAJ: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a new rooftop solar power scheme-Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojna, residents of Sangam city have started to opt for clean energy by installing solar power panels in their homes.
Estimated that around 8% of total 2.25 lakh houses have installed the solar power panels to reduce their electricity bills, more and more house owners are connecting with dealers trading in solar power panels to get it installed on roofs of residential units.
With both union and state government offering adequate subsidies on solar panels as such rooftop solar panels are a boom in the city, more consumers are opting for green energy. The installation of solar power panels will surely cut their electricity bill coming summer season. The subsidy which is being granted from 2 kg watt to 10 kg watt on the residential on grid system, is attracting house owners at posh city colonies like Civil Lines, SP Marg, MG Marg, Georgetown, Muir road, Ashok Nagar, Tagore town and adjoining areas to install solar panel systems.
Dealers in the city claimed, “The mounting electricity bills and power cuts have stirred many house owners to install solar panels on their rooftops. The installation of on-grid solar power systems has gone up at least 30% across city in 2023 compared to 2022. Dealers, however, assume that 2024 will break all previous records as far installation of solar panel was concerned. Rahul Khare, a prominent dealer of a firm installing solar panel told TOI, “The demand for solar connections is coming from all types of consumers, but educated elite class are taking more interest in it. With state and central government offering subsidies on solar panels, the residential users are preferring to install on-grid solar power systems as they get a chance to get credit for the excess power their system produces. The excess power is fed to the grid through net metering. It also means uninterrupted supply as there will always be power either from the solar panel system or from the grid besides saving on electricity bill.”Moreover, owners of showrooms, community halls, hotels are also making efforts to get on-grid power systems installed to reduce their electricity bills, Khare added.
Dealers, however, said, “There is still a need to create mass awareness among power consumers to promote installation of solar panel and aims that at least 40% of houses in city should get it installed this year.” Executives of firms selling and installing solar panels said residential units in cities prefer on-grid solar power systems while off-grid power systems are in demand in rural areas.
The bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and OP Shukla also directed the state govt, LDA and the petitioners to furnish the list of those dwellers, who file GST and Income Tax returns, along with the last two years’ details.
