For the son of M Boominathan, of Melaveli pachayat in Thanjavur district, power cut hours no longer pose any problem to go through his polytechnic lessons. The Green house he was living in was provided with grid backed up solar home lighting system.
M Boominathan, working in a jewellery shop was one of the beneficiaries who was allotted under the Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Green house scheme. His house was provided with a solar panel, a battery backup with five Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) for the financial year 2011-12.
Out of a total allocation of `1.80 lakh per green house, `30,000 has been earmarked for solar pack for home lighting. The supply, commission and installation of the solar panels, battery, lights were entrusted to the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) which in turn awarded tenders to private suppliers.
“For Thanjavur district as many as 2,589 green houses were allocated for the financial year 2011-12. Among these houses around 400 houses were energised with solar power packs. The solar panel fixing and wiring works were over in around 1,000 houses,” an official source said.
For 2012-13, the number of houses allotted for Thanjavur district is 2,579. The constructions of these houses are also on, the officials said.
The Government has also provided for metered power connection from the grid as an option for the beneficiaries. Under the scheme, already more than 385 houses in the Tiruchy region of Tamil Nadu Electricity Generation and Distribution Corporation were provided with service connections. The same would be provided to another 500 houses very soon said an engineer with the TANGEDCO. “The service connection could be used when the solar intensity was low”, he added.
Some of the beneficiaries have shifted the already available service connection in the thatched house to the green house built in the same location. The solar power pack would be maintained by the supplier for five years after installation.
Non-working System
One of the beneficiaries in Melaveli panchayat, A Selvaraj, said the solar power pack was not working in his green house. However, he hastened to add that a technician from the firm, which supplied the equipment visited the home and said the system would be repaired soon.
When contacted, a representative of Alectrona Energy private limited, which has supplied the system and is in charge of maintaining it, said some faulty wiring could be the reason for the snag.