The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, has launched a City Accelerator Program under the PM Suryaghar scheme to promote rooftop solar installations across the country. As part of this program, 100 cities have been selected, including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Udaipur in Rajasthan. The initiative aims to encourage citizens to adopt rooftop solar systems through awareness campaigns, vendor training, and other support activities in these cities.
Chairperson of DISCOMs, Ms. Aarti Dogra, held a video conference on Friday evening at Vidyut Bhavan with representatives of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation and other stakeholders associated with the program. Officials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy also participated in the meeting. Ms. Dogra said that interest in rooftop solar has been growing steadily, with over 10,000 rooftop solar systems installed in Rajasthan every month on average. She emphasized the need to further accelerate installations so that Rajasthan can become a leading state in rooftop solar adoption, similar to its progress under the PM-KUSUM scheme.
Ms. Dogra urged stakeholders to create awareness about solar energy at the grassroots level. She noted that with the approval of virtual net metering and group net metering, people who do not have their own rooftops or sufficient space can also participate in solar initiatives. Additionally, the provision of an extra subsidy of ₹17,000 under the 150-unit free electricity scheme by DISCOMs is expected to further boost rooftop solar adoption.
It was highlighted that under the PM Suryaghar scheme, over 1.09 lakh rooftop solar plants have been installed in Rajasthan. Jaipur leads with 15,932 plants, followed by Jodhpur with 6,436, Udaipur with 5,794, and Ajmer with 2,759 installations.
The meeting also informed that banks are providing loans at a subsidized interest rate of 5.75 percent under the scheme. Ms. Dogra directed stakeholders to raise public awareness about this facility and identify obstacles that prevent applicants from installing solar systems even after registration.
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