Gujarat Makes Solar Energy Adoption Affordable for Families
Gujarat government announces subsidies for solar panel installation, reducing costs for families to as low as 5%.
Gandhinagar, October 21 (Daily Kiran) : The Gujarat government has announced a significant initiative to encourage the adoption of solar energy among families. During a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, it was revealed that over 300,000 households will benefit from additional state subsidies for rooftop solar panel installations.
Families in the general category will only need to cover 10% of the installation costs, while Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families will pay just 5%. Spokesperson and Minister Jitu Vaghani stated that the state plans to spend approximately ₹1,000 crores on these subsidies under the central government‘s ‘PM Surya Ghar: Free Electricity Scheme.’
The subsidy applies to residential solar panels with a capacity of up to 2 kilowatts. After accounting for central assistance and the beneficiary’s contribution, the remaining costs will be borne by the state government. For example, a general category family installing a 1-kilowatt system, which has a standard cost of ₹54,000, will pay only ₹5,400. In contrast, SC/ST families will pay ₹2,700.
The central government will contribute ₹32,400, while the state government will provide an additional ₹16,200 for general beneficiaries and ₹18,900 for SC/ST beneficiaries. For a 2-kilowatt system, the contribution from beneficiaries will be ₹10,720 for general families and ₹5,360 for SC/ST families.
The central government contributes ₹62,800 to the overall cost, with state subsidies amounting to ₹33,600 for general beneficiaries and ₹38,960 for SC/ST beneficiaries. This initiative aims to make the installation of rooftop solar panels more affordable, enabling more families to reduce their reliance on traditional electricity sources.
According to the state government, over 1.4 million families in Gujarat have already installed solar panels on their rooftops. Notably, more than 850,000 of these panels were installed under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, placing Gujarat at the forefront of this national initiative.
The program is designed to help families lower their electricity bills through solar energy production, and households can also earn income by supplying excess electricity back to the grid.
