CHENNAI: TNGECL has directed officials to expedite the installation of bidirectional meters for rooftop solar consumers across Tamil Nadu, anticipating a rise in applications following the state government’s decision to extend subsidies of up to `1 lakh under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
The state government, in its revised budget, announced an additional subsidy over and above the centre’s assistance, taking the total benefit available to eligible households to up to `1 lakh. A rooftop solar system typically costs around `1 lakh to `1.15 lakh, depending on its capacity and installation requirements.
The move comes amid complaints from some consumers over delays in installing bidirectional meters after rooftop solar systems were commissioned. A senior TNGECL official said the discom had sufficient stock of meters and officials had been instructed to address complaints immediately. “We expect applications to increase in the coming days following the enhanced subsidy,” the official added.
TNGECL has so far covered 1.06 lakh households across the state. Of these, 1.05 lakh applications had been received, while rooftop solar systems had been installed in 90,706 homes, with a combined capacity of 330.15 MW. “The remaining applications are under various stages of processing. The union government has so far released `595.1 crore as subsidy,” the official said.
Officials said the enhanced subsidy had already triggered increased enquiries from consumers. “After the state government announced the subsidy of up to `1 lakh under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, we have been receiving several calls from consumers interested in installing rooftop solar systems. Therefore, officials have been instructed to speed up the installation and other related works,” the official said.
Bidirectional meters record both electricity drawn from the grid and surplus power fed back into it by rooftop solar systems. TNGECL has asked field officials to process applications without delay and complete installations promptly.