Eluru: APEPDCL SE Salman Raju said that Eluru district has stood first in the state in the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana scheme. He said that 2353 household electricity consumers have installed solar panels. The central and state governments have taken a key decision to encourage household electricity consumers to use renewable energy. As part of the PM Surya Ghar scheme, a subsidy of Rs 30,000 per kilowatt for the first and second kilowatt and Rs 18000 for the third kilowatt is being given for the installation of solar panels, up to a maximum of Rs 78,000.
He said that 2,353 household electricity consumers in the district have installed 7.8 MW solar panels with a subsidy of Rs 12.14 crore and are generating about one million units per month. He said that the department is refunding Rs 2.09 paise per unit for the surplus units consumed.
He said that efforts are being made to develop 5 villages in Eluru district, namely Dwaraka Tirumala, Duggirala, Chinanindrakolanu, Tadikalpudi and Errampet villages, as model solar villages.
He said that 27,053 SC and ST household electricity consumers in the district have been identified and tenders have been invited through NEDCAP on July 3 for installing a total of 54.11 MW rooftop solar panels at the rate of two kilowatts per household. He said that by using solar energy, we will not only reduce carbon emissions that affect the environment but also do a lot of good for the environment.
He said that a 750 KW solar power plant has been set up under a pilot project in G Kothapalli village of Dwaraka Tirumala mandal in Eluru district under the auspices of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company and thus a plan has been prepared to provide free electricity to the government panchayat offices and residential consumers in Dwaraka Tirumala panchayat. As part of the Pradhan Mantri Kusuma scheme, two experimental agricultural power consumers in Pedavegi and T Narasapuram mandals of Eluru district were selected and solar panels were installed free of cost and free agricultural power was provided to them.
