Bangalore: The State government on Friday launched the scheme for installation of grid-connected solar panels on the roofs of residential, commercial, educational and industrial buildings. It has been planned to generate 200 MW of solar power through the scheme.
Speaking to mediapersons, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said that the applications for installing the panels were available on the Bescom website. The issue of applications will be stopped once the target of 200 MW is reached.
According to the solar policy announced in May 2014, the government has planned to generate 1,000 MW of solar energy. Of this, farmers will be allowed to generate 300 MW while 200 MW will be generated through rooftop panels. Private individuals will be allowed to produce the balance 500 MW and the tendering process for this yet to begin.
The minister said that Bescom has been appointed as the nodal agency for the scheme. After receipt of the application the officials from Bescom will inspect the property and the installation and collect the registration fee. The power generated can be used for personal consumption or sold to the nearest grid. The Bescom will pay for the units supplied to it.
The registration fee for up to five KV of solar panel, has been fixed at Rs 500. The fee is Rs 1,000 for panels generating power between 5KV and 10 KV. The present tariff, determined by Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, is Rs 9.56 per unit for installation without subsidy and Rs 7.20 per unit for installation with subsidy, up to March 31, 2018.
The units consumed and supplied to the grid will be shown separately in the metre and the Bescom will pay the difference amount through net banking, said Bescom Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey.
Pandey added that Bangalore was the leading City in installation of solar water heaters. Everyday over 400 MW of energy is saved because of the usage of solar power and this is seen maximum during morning hours, when peak load is very high.
Shivakumar said that the St Joseph’s College group, Bescom corporate office have implemented the scheme and panels have also been installed on the rooptop of his residence. In case of apartments, the whole block can install one or multiple panels. Residents can chose from a variety of solar panels and they can recover the cost in five-six years.
Except Malnad region, the whole of Karnataka gets sunshine for more than 300 days. One kilowatt panel can be installed in 100 sq feet of rooftop space which can generate 4-5 units of power on a daily basis.
