Andhra Pradesh Announces Financial Assistance for Solar Rooftop Plants

Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APEPDCL) announced last week that residential customers interested in installing grid-connected rooftop solar (RTS) plants would now be entitled to receive central financial assistance.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned 8MW capacity in the residential sector under Phase II of the RTS program for APEPDCL with timelines for completion of allocation capacity in 15 months. That opens a window for potentially 2600 plus residents of the state who own a proper terrace to avail of the scheme, assuming  typical size of 3 KW of solar rooftop.

V Vijaya Lalita, Chief general manager, Energy Conservation, Energy Audit, Solar/APEPDCL, informed that the facility was extended to Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and both Godavari districts’ residential consumers by installing grid-connected plants in their homes through EPDCL.

Empanelment of agencies for Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic power units of capacity 1 KWp to 500 KWp capacities in APEPDCL has already been done. Sixteen agencies are empanelled in 1 KWp to 10 KWp category and three agencies are empanelled in above 10 KWp to 500 KWp category.

All has not been well in Andhra Pradesh of late. Renewable energy companies, solar and wind, with Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the state government, have urged the AP high court to expedite the hearing on the batch of petitions filed challenging the single judge order. The companies have told the high court that they have been facing financial troubles and are on the verge of bankruptcy.

The conflict arose after the state government decided to review the power tariffs and a subsequent GO issued in 2019, forming a committee to renegotiate prices with the companies. The state government proposed paying Rs 2.44 per unit instead of Rs 4.8 for solar power as per the initial agreement, which was unacceptable to the companies.

In other renewable energy news coming from the state, National Institute of Technology- Andhra Pradesh recently organised a five-day online training in ‘Power Electronics Applications in Smart Grids and Electric Vehicles’. Power electronics is an interdisciplinary area that combines electric drives, power quality in power systems, renewable energy systems, microgrids and electric vehicles.