Solar power a viable option

MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES. 20% SUBSIDY BY STATE, 30% BY THE CENTRE

Electricity consumption in the city has swelled. It is estimated that the daily requirement ranges between 60 and 75 Million Units (MU). With demand on the rise and supply being limited, one has to look for alternative sources of power. With government offering up to 50 per cent subsidy on installation cost and with an option to sell surplus to grid, solar power plants are a green, efficient and attractive option. Now the onus is on the common man to take this into a successful initiative

On November 26, a solar plant was inaugurated by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at his camp office in Begumpet. The plant is estimated to save 50 per cent of the power consumed at the office. Many public sector undertakings too have installed solar power plants.

The move is intentional and the government wants the public to follow suit. Conventional sources of energy are depleting. As a result, usage of new and renewable sources of energy have become the need of the hour. With the increasing power tariffs and irregular power cuts, the common man is now looking towards renewable sources of energy. The solar power stands as a viable alternative

option with the government providing sops for its installation. They have offered a 20 per cent subsidy, in addition to the 30 per cent already offered by the Centre. Not only would an individual be equipped with a roof top plant which would generate power, one can even sell surplus power to the grid at Rs 3.50 a unit. To encourage the use of solar power, the capital subsidy has been announced for plants below the capacity of 1 KW for a household, 5 KW for institutions and 500 KW for commercial establishments.

New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) is responsible for the implementation of solar power policy. Speaking to Hyderabad Hans, a senior official with NREDCAP said, “There are about 12 lakh electricity consumers in the city and even if 10 per cent of them switch to solar, that will save a lot of energy. We are expecting that 10 per cent will switch to solar energy in the next couple of years. Late in August, we held a rally at Necklace Road educating people about the importance and benefits of solar power. We were able to convince 1,258 people to install solar energy.” Various government hospitals and public sector undertakings are in the forefront in using solar power. “Solar energy is a green and efficient system and is necessary.

Few might argue that the installation costs are high, but that would be substantiated by low maintenance costs. If there is excess of supply, one can always sell it. I have been using solar power plant for the past year-and-a-half and it has drastically reduced my electricity expenses,” said Narasimham, a retired engineer.