Central scheme stimulates demand for solar rooftop systems in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Within six months of its announcement, the central government scheme for rooftop solar systems on residential properties has received around 16,000 applications in the Bescom jurisdiction. 

The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSY) provides up to 60 per cent subsidy for the installation of solar rooftop systems on residential properties.

The inclination towards solar rooftop systems in Bengaluru and surrounding districts comes as a surprise to the renewable energy sector as the residential solar rooftop installations in the state had seen a considerable fall owing to the Gruha Jyothi scheme which resulted in zero power bills for many households. 

Senior officials from Bescom opined that many of the applicants were either not eligible for the Gruha Jyothi scheme or reaped minimum benefits from it. 

"There are close to 25 lakh households which are not eligible for Gruha Jyothi scheme since they consume over 200 units of power. These are the ones who are mostly inclined towards installation," a senior Bescom official said. 

One of the residents interested in applying for the PMSY said that he had decided to install a rooftop solar system since the state government showed no signs of recalculating the eligible units for new constructions.

"I waited for nearly a year hoping that we would also get a zero bill since our consumption is below 200 units. However, since ours is a new construction, we continue to get only 53 units of power for free and the government has shown no interest in increasing this. Hence, I am planning to apply for PMSY," said Praveen K, a resident of North Bengaluru. 

Another Bescom official said that the popularity of the central scheme attracted people and since the scheme was available only for the first one crore houses, there might be a sense of urgency among citizens. 

"From across the state, only one crore households will be provided the subsidy and hence there might be a rush. We are also processing most of the applications online at the earliest and enabling faster installation," the official said. 

While over a lakh people from the city have registered themselves in the central government portal for the PMSY, a total of 16,823 people have applied for the scheme in the Bescom jurisdiction. A total of 1,212 households have got the installation completed.

Karnataka stands ninth in implementing the scheme across the country. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan lead in implementing the scheme.