Srinagar- At a time when people in Kashmir are grappling with severe electricity crisis, the Jammu and Kashmir government’s solar energy project has come out as a viable option to reduce burden on the hydroelectricity and to provide hassle-free electricity supply to the people
Introduced by the Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) in 2021, the grid-connected rooftop solar plants are garnering an exceptional response within the Union Territory, especially Kashmir Valley which faces acute power crisis with the onset of winter.
Under Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), GoI’s Phase – II rooftop solar scheme, domestic electricity consumers across the UT can install rooftop solar power plant at subsidized rates (1-10 kW capacity)
The rooftop Solar Scheme, launched as part of the National Solar Mission, offers twin benefits to participants. The scheme provides a 65% subsidy (40% from government of India and 25% from UT administration), resulting in a substantial reduction in energy bills for residents.
“The scheme reduces the burden on the Power Distribution Transformers as the energy is produced at the consumers end, thus preventing frequent faults in transformers,” an official from JAKEDA told Kashmir Observer.
“It also supplements energy generation which in turn reduces power curtailment hours. It also customises the Solar Power Plants as per consumer’s energy requirement to completely off-set the monthly electricity bills,” he added.
To avail the facility, he said, the consumers can apply online through the web portal www.jk.ahasolar.in following which the system will be installed through JAKEDA empanelled vendors to avail the offered subsidy.
“We have empanelled over 40 firms for providing net-meters and implementation of the scheme. However, people can directly apply through the online portal,” he noted.
Notably, the JAKEDA inked Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with J&K Bank for loans with a quantum of Rs 2.6lakh for the purchase of solar power plants by the people.
He further said the solar plant provides electricity to homes with clean solar energy. The plant occupies only 80-100 sq. ft roof area per KW and generates 120-140 units of energy per KW per month on an average. The project also saves approx. Rs 500/- per KW per month in electricity bills.
The official further said that the plant offsets about 0.73 tons of carbon emission annually per KW which is equivalent to planting 33 trees.
Maqsud Ali Banka, Executive Engineer of JAKEDA told Kashmir Observer that most of the smart meter consumers have installed the solar plants and efforts were afoot to cover 10,000 households under this scheme.
“As of now, over 1600 individuals with smart meters have installed the plants with a cumulative capacity of 8.5 MW. Smart meters are imperative for installing the solar plant,” he said.
“But if anyone wants to install solar panels in a non-metered area, we provide net energy meters that record import and export of the energy,” he added.
Regarding the surplus power, Banka said that the energy will be imported and exported through smart meters.
Citing an example, Banka explained, “If you produce 5KW of electricity but only utilize 3KW, it implies that you’ve exported 2KWs of electricity, and this surplus will be evident in your monthly bill,”
He said there is only one variant of the plant. The solar rooftops are available from 1 KW to 10 KW capacity and five years free maintenance is also provided to the consumers.
Banka said people mostly prefer 3 KW plant which costs around Rs 1.57 lakh. The UT government provides Rs 39, 445 subsidy while MNRE provides Rs 63,112. A consumer has to pay only Rs 55,224 to get the solar plant installed.
Notably, the department has organised many week-long mega solar Expos across the Valley aiming to raise awareness among the people about the benefits of rooftop solar plants and other beneficiary oriented schemes.
According to Lenin Kundoo, an executive engineer at PDD, the drive promoting solar energy isn’t solely an eco-friendly trend but a vital necessity, particularly in areas like Kashmir, known for severe winters.
“All of us have to come together in reducing carbon emissions. People need to adopt this technology to get rid of the power crises,” he added.
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