In Short : The Finance Minister of Gujarat makes a remark suggesting that a solar rooftop system is much better than receiving free electricity. This statement implies the importance of sustainable and self-sufficient energy solutions, such as solar rooftops, over traditional methods, even when provided for free.
In Detail : Gandhinagar : Gujarat Finance and Energy Minister Kanubhai Desai on Friday said that encouraging people to have a residential solar rooftop system is way better than offering them free electricity up to 200 or 300 units, making a jibe at opposition Congress and AAP.
Free power has been one of the main poll planks of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress is also warming up to the idea.
Addressing the Assembly during Question Hour, Desai said Gujarat is a leader in generating electricity through this renewable source and nearly 5 lakh households in the state have so far saved Rs 2,000 crore in their power bills after installing solar panels atop their homes.
“Residential solar rooftop systems are much better than offering 200 to 300 units of free electricity,” said Desai while answering a set of questions regarding Gujarat’s scheme (SURYA) which promotes solar electrification.
People can not only save on their power bills but also earn money by selling excess electricity generated through their solar panels installed on their rooftops, he said.
As per this system, the amount of electricity generated through solar panels is offset against the amount of energy consumed by a household, said Desai.
If the power consumed is more than the units generated through the rooftop system, the owner has to pay for the net amount at the end of the billing cycle. If the energy generated is more than consumption, the owner gets compensated for the excess units produced, said Desai.
“Nearly five lakh households have installed solar panels on the rooftops in Gujarat. They have so far saved nearly Rs 2,000 crore in their electricity bills and earned over Rs 200 crore by selling excess units generated through their solar panels,” said Desai.
The Gujarat government buys the excess electricity at Rs 2.25 per unit from these households, the minister said and informed the House about the Centre’s newly launched ‘Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana’.
Under the central scheme, one crore households will get a rooftop solar electrification system. Desai said subsidies linked to this scheme will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries.
With a total installed capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts, Gujarat tops the country in rooftop solar power installations. He said the state government is encouraging people to install rooftop solar systems under its SURYA Gujarat scheme.
