CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has issued directives to all superintending engineers to complete the inspection with regard to PM’s Surya Ghar (rooftop solar) scheme. As of April 22, as many as 988 applications are pending for inspection in the state as per the national portal.
The power utility also warned the officials, saying, “If there is any delay in effecting the rooftop solar services, strict action will be taken against the engineers concerned.”
A senior official from Tangedco told TNIE, “Due to election-related commitments, we had temporarily suspended the field visits. Nevertheless, efforts are under way to accelerate installations of rooftop solar across the state. Despite having nearly 40,000 applications under the PM rooftop solar scheme, only less than 10% of the applicants have received their panels. Measures are under way to speed up the remaining installations.”
Emphasising the necessity of bidirectional meters, the official also added, “It is imperative to allocate bidirectional meters for all the roof-top solar services. So, we have apprised superintending engineers about reallocating available bidirectional meters from one division to another to ensure uninterrupted delivery.”
Highlighting consumer-related delays, another official explained, “Though many consumers register enthusiastically on the national portal to get solar panels, upon inspection by Tangedco officials to assess feasibility, a significant number of them display disinterest, while some others request time to arrange payment.”
While urban residents exhibit eagerness to embrace rooftop solar on their houses, people in rural areas are not interested. Consequently, our focus is on spreading more awareness among rural communities, he added.