KOCHI: Solar power, a renewable power source, may be our only way past the impending energy crisis. Now, more households in Kerala will be able to install solar panels on their rooftops and utilise solar power under Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) new and affordable solar rooftop project called Soura Phase II.
The Saura project by Kerala State Electricity Board, that aims to bring more hosues in the state under solar power, is launching its second phase. The work of the Soura II will begin by November, a KSEB official. “We will consider houses that meet the minimum requirement, but were excluded previously.
The advantage of Soura 2 is that the benefit of subsidy will reach a maximum number of people,” said A Nassarudeen, nodal officer of the Soura project of the KSEB.
The highlight of the Soura second phase is the subsidy. Though the customer has to pay for the entire solar panel installation, the cost can be recovered in three-and-a-half years as savings on power, according to KSEB.
The customers will get a subsidy of 40 per cent for the first 3 KW installed and 20 per cent for additional KW. The subsidy is provided by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
“The public can offset the investment made in three and a half years,” said Nassarudeen. “The scheme is applicable only for houses and the registration will close when we reach 75,000 applications,” he added. The customer can choose from the empanelled list of contractors to be announced by the end of October. The contractors will install and maintain the panels for the next five years.
Kerala model
KSEB has tweaked Soura 2 scheme and introduced a ‘Kerala model’ for making the solar power project more affordable. However, it is applicable to houses with less than 200 units monthly consumption. In this model, KSEB will share the investment with the customer provided the solar power generated is also shared between both parties.
If the consumer is ready to spend 12 % of the cost then KSEB will provide 25 per cent of the power generated. Similarly, if the investment is 20 percent, the customer gets 40 per cent power. A 25 per cent investment can fetch 50 percent power generated. KSEB has expedited both phases of Soura project despite administrative delays and pandemic outbreak.
More houses to be included
The new project will also prioritise houses which were excluded in the first phase and comes with attractive subsidies. Only 42,500 buildings were selected out of the 2.78 lakh registrations received in the first phase.
The exclusions were made as KSEB was still working out the feasibility of the locations. Among the three options, a majority of the applicants had chosen schemes involving investment by KSEB. However in the new scheme the criteria has been revised to accommodate more consumers.
The slant of the roof, shade received, no-modification clause for next five years, and strength of roof are some of the criteria. The 200 MW Soura 1 project kicked off at 150 locations, and as many as 5,000 buildings will be completed in the next couple of months. The work of Soura 2 will begin by November, said the officer.