CHENNAI: Former Director (Technical) of Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited, RK Vinodhagan, at a one-day workshop organised by Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) on Thursday, stressed the need for increased awareness among public on renewable energy and the role media could play.
Pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 and Tamil Nadu is planning to meet 50% of its electricity needs through renewable energy sources, he said every consumer must play a role in achieving this by installing rooftop solar.
He said the state presently generated only around 25% of its electricity from renewable sources. P Ashok Kumar, president of Tamil Nadu Solar and Developers Association, said Gujarat is leading the country with 2.5 lakh households using rooftop solar systems while TN is in seventh position with just about 30,000 households.
“The subsidy pattern must be revised, especially in urban areas where apartment living is increasing,” he said. At present, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy provides subsidies to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) after builders hand over the flats. However, he said banks are not ready to offer loans to RWAs and therefore the government should consider granting the subsidies to builders directly and not RWAs.