Agency hunt for rooftop power plan
Patna: The Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) has floated a tender to choose an agency to carry out work on the grid-connected rooftop programme.
A BREDA official said: “Tenders have been floated for this work and we will finalise the agency by mid-March.”
The selected agency will be given some time to mobilise resources for providing its services to the interested individuals and organisations under this scheme. The scheme entails setting up of rooftop solar power energy source on buildings owned by individuals or organisations. The individual/organisation will get 1KW of power per month using this facility which is equal to 120 units of electricity.
A sum of Rs 75,000 will be required for setting up the micro solar power plants generating 1KW at rooftops out of which half would come as subsidy from the Centre and the state. Those availing the benefits of the scheme will have to pay half the cost in 60 instalments of Rs 625 each. In lieu of this payment, the individual will get 1KW of power per month which is equivalent to 120 units of electricity.
Going by the average power rate of Rs 5.39 per unit for the domestic urban consumer, the power generated by solar plant will be worth Rs 646.80 whereas one will pay Rs 625 towards instalment of plant cost. After 60 months, even this cost would not be there, allowing the user to get power for free.
In case of institutions and social organisations, the government will provide 25 per cent of the cost as subsidy whereas commercial or industrial units will not be entitled for any subsidy.
The scheme also has a buyback component under which the distribution companies will buy back the power at the current tariff in case the user is not using it for the time being. In case of power generated on a rooftop is not consumed by an individual, the distribution companies will buy back the unused power.
A two-way electricity meter will allow flow of electricity both ways, i.e. from the distribution company to the consumer and vice versa. The meter will also ensure that power from the distribution company is supplied to the consumer only if the daily quota of power generated by the rooftop plant is consumed. In case of non-use of power generated at rooftops, it will be supplied to the distribution company by the same meter.
According to the norms set for implementing this scheme, the distribution companies will allow giving this facility to 30 per cent of the transformer capacity through which power is supplied to consumers in a given area.
The BREDA official said a dedicated portal will be created for receiving applications from individuals/organisations for availing this facility so that those willing to get benefit of this scheme can apply online.
The Bihar government has already sanctioned Rs 241 crore as share of its subsidy for the scheme and the Centre, too, has agreed to give its share. While half of the central share would come in the form of advance, the remaining central funds will be released after verification of the work done.
Source: telegraphindia
