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RK Singh, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Power, informed Lok Sabha about the government's plan to install rooftop solar panels in 10 million households. By December 31, 2023, the country had installed a total of 73.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar power projects, with 10.7 GW coming from rooftop installations on homes, businesses, and factories.
Through the MNRE's Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme (Phase II), around 670,000 rooftop solar systems have been installed, contributing to a total capacity of 2.76 GW.
One of the ways India is using solar energy is by installing rooftop solar systems. These are small solar panels that are fixed on the roofs of houses, buildings, and factories. They can generate electricity for the people who live or work there. They can also reduce the load on the power grid and save money on electricity bills.
R.K. Singh said that the government has not launched a new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana. He said that the existing scheme of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme is enough to meet the target. He also said that the growth of rooftop solar installations has been good and there is no problem in it.
India can use rooftop solar
A report by CEEW says that India can use a lot of solar energy on rooftops. Solar energy is the energy that comes from the sun. It is clean and renewable. It does not cause pollution or climate change.
The report says that over 25 crore houses in India can have solar panels on their roofs. This can generate 637 GW of solar energy. This is a lot of energy. If India uses one-third of this energy, it can meet the electricity needs of all the houses in India.
But the report also says that not all houses can use solar energy. Some houses use very little electricity. For them, solar energy may be too expensive. They may need some help from the government to use solar energy. The report says that only 11 GW of solar energy is possible without any help. But if the government gives some money to the houses, then 32 GW of solar energy is possible.
The report is based on the data from 21 states in India. These states have most of the people in India. The report says that seven states have most of the solar energy potential. These states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
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