Kerala Installs Rooftop Solar On All Households In Palakkad Tribal Pocket

ElectriciKerala Installs Rooftop Solar On All Households In Palakkad Tribal Pocketty Demand Growth Grew Fastest In India, China: IEA Report. Photo by-Pexels

Naduppathi Tribal settlement in Palakkad became the first settlement in the country to have Rooftop Solar installed in all feasible Households, the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) of Kerala said in a statement.

ANERT has completed the Solarisation of all feasible households at the Naduppathy Tribal settlement in Palakkad District. The village became the first of its kind in India, where the rooftops are installed with Solar and exporting power to the utility Grid, it said.

The project is part of ANERT’s Green Income initiative through which the lowest strata of the society was provided with an additional income source through Green Energy. The 84 houses for which 2 kW Solar Power Plant are installed at Naduppathy will obtain an additional income via the exported energy to the utility grid from the 2kW Solar Power Plant.

The inauguration of the works completed for Solar Power Plants was done by the State Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty in the presence of the Malampuzha MLA A Prabhakaran of the constituency, who delivered the presidential address.

“Out of the 120 households, a few were unable to be provided with Solar Power Plants due to the restriction of 75% capacity of distribution transformer at set forth by the KSERC. These households will also be provided with Solar once the KSERC approval is obtained / waiver is allowed on the capacity of RE plants/upgradation of Transformer,” ANERT said.

ANERT CEO Narendra Nath Veluri IFS presented the report in which he emphasized the need for such progressive schemes that would benefit the economically weaker strata through Renewable Energy.

The whole development comes at a time when the Union government and states are pushing rooftop solar installations. In the last two months, the country witnessed a spree of events leading to increased thrust on the segment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi this year announced PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli scheme to ensure installation of rooftop solar systems onto the households of one crore Indians.

As per the latest statistics from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Kerala has a total of 1,201 MW of renewable energy capacities. This excludes the additional 1,864 MW of hydroelectric power capacity in the state.