Capacity-building workshop on utility led aggregation model for rooftop solar

Visakhapatnam: A capacity building workshop on the implementation of rooftop solar through the Utility Led Aggregation (ULA) Model in Andhra Pradesh was held at the Centre of Excellence for Energy Transition (CoEET) here on Monday.

Addressing the gathering, Chairman and Managing Director of APEPDCL Prudhvi Tej Immadi stated that as part of India’s climate commitments, the Union government has launched an ambitious programme to facilitate solar power to one crore households under the PM–Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

The CMD informed that the state currently has around 94,000 consumer-led rooftop solar installations with a total installed capacity of 328 MW, Of them, APEPDCL alone has contributed 44,452 rooftop solar installations with a capacity of 142 MW.

The CMD said that APEPDCL has undertaken large-scale awareness campaigns at village, mandal, division and district levels, including door-to-door campaigns and distribution of pamphlets.

The CMD explained that from application to commissioning, all charges are collected at a single stage, ensuring ease and transparency. The APEPDCL is providing approvals within 3–4 days on average, with a maximum turnaround time of one week, he added.

Further, Prudhvi Tej stated that the government has introduced a utility-led scheme, funding the remaining capital expenditure through the state’s subsidy budget, under which eligible domestic consumers are already receiving 200 units of free power per month.

He stated that tenders have been awarded using a division-wise cluster approach, covering all divisions and Letters of Award (LOAs) have been issued to 41 EPC vendors. The project has now entered the critical implementation phase with material supply already commenced in several divisions, he informed.

The CMD expressed confidence that with the proven efficiency of APEPDCL engineers and coordinated efforts of EPC partners, the project would not only achieve the target of 2 lakh rooftop solar connections but also emerge as a national model for large-scale solarisation of economically backward communities.

APEPDCL Director (Operations) TV Surya Prakash, director T Vanaja, (Projects & HRD), and director (Finance) S Hari Babu, Chief General Managers L Dyva Prasad, and B Ashok Kumar, superintending engineers and executive engineers from 11 districts along with senior officers and EPC vendors were present.