Solar Power Promotion: 10 MW Target

To promote rooftop solar power generation, the State Government has set a target of generating 10 MW solar power for the current fiscal.

VISAKHAPATNAM : To promote rooftop solar power generation, the State Government has set a target of generating 10 MW solar power for the current fiscal and would increase it to 2,000 MW over the next five years. As part of the programme, the APEPDCL and the New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NEDCAP) are all set to provide a common platform for the benefit of consumers.

“We are bringing together the manufacturers and suppliers of solar panels, batteries, inverters and other equipment, including solar pumps, apart from banks and insurance companies,” said EPDCL CMD R Mutyala Raju. In the first attempt post- bifurcation, the EPDCL and the NEDCAP are organising the Rooftop Solar Expo-2015 at Viswapriya Function Hall on the Beach Road here from August 22 to 24.

On the alternative power generation sources, NEDCAP chairman and managing director M Kamalakar Babu said that for setting up a solar power unit of 1 KW capacity, it would cost `80,000-90,000 and the government would provide a subsidy of 15 per cent. “Excess power can be sold to the distribution companies using net-metering facility,” he said. Recently, a proposal was sent to banks for considering the cost of the rooftop solar power units as part of the construction cost while issuing home loans. Further, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) is extending loans for purchase of solar panels at 9.9 to 10.75 per cent of interest.

New APEPDCL Initiatives

• To provide better services, EPDCL had already introduced Eastern Power Customer Care and Billing system for realtime updation of billing and payments.
• E-office project was launched Friday for office automation and enable EPDCL corporate headquarters to go paperless. By October-end, EPDCL aims to become the first distribution company in the country to go paperless.
• A mobile application which is in the testing phase, would be launched for Android phone users shortly, to enable power consumers access the company services including bill payments, energy consumption pattern among others.

The State Government is planning to promote rooftop solar panels on a large scale.