1,400 govt houses attain net-zero in power consumption in Chandigarh

With the installation of rooftop solar plants, nearly 1,400 government houses in the city have achieved net-zero in power consumption.

According to officials, rooftop solar plants have been installed atop nearly 6,000 government houses across the city and nearly 1,400 of these have become net-zero in energy consumption. With a total installed capacity of 18.1 MWp (Megawatt-peak), these houses are expected to generate around 23.5 million units of solar power annually. However, the allottees of the government residential units have to pay solar user charges of nearly Rs 300 per kW monthly. In a likely relief for thousands of government employees, the UT Administration is considering abolishing user fee currently being levied on rooftop solar power plants.

Similarly, 148 beneficiaries have achieved zero electricity bills under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana launched in February 2024. Out of the total 1,542 applications received for installation of solar panels till January 28 under the scheme, solar panels had been installed at 1,026 private houses. Subsidy worth Rs 5.51 crore had been disbursed among 989 households till December 31 last year.

Under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the Central Government provides a subsidy of up to Rs 78,000 for installation of solar plants with a capacity of up to 3 kW.

The UT Administration has set a target to generate 15 MWp more solar power by the end of this year so as to achieve the aim of making Chandigarh a model solar city by 2030.

The city has achieved a cumulative solar power generation capacity of 90 MWp, distributed across 10,988 sites. This solar infrastructure has contributed 270.26 million units of clean energy, leading to a reduction of 186,479 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions.

On July 1 last year, the city had commissioned North India’s largest floating solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant with a capacity of 2.5 MWp at the Sector 39 waterworks.