Vadodara Municipal Corporation Issues 4 MW Rooftop Solar Tender

rooftop-solar

Vadodara Municipal Corporation has invited a tender to commission and undertake the comprehensive Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of a 4 MW rooftop solar power plant for 10 years. The rooftop solar plant will be installed on various municipal buildings. The municipal corporation has sought bids for the project until February 27, 2025.

The tender mentioned, “The estimated earnest money deposit of ₹19,86,88,500 is payable by the bidders. The project is projected to be completed within 240 days.” This comes at a time when several institutions are issuing tenders to solarise the buildings in their jurisdiction to reduce their dependence on the grid and to increase savings on their monthly electricity bills.

Rooftop Solar Tender on the Rise

In the last few years India has witnessed a rise in adoption of solar rooftop projects. Several states have been trying their hands to solarise government buildings. The country as a whole has seen a rise in rooftop solar projects due to government push and increased awareness. According to data shared by the minister before Parliament, 45% of households receive zero electricity bills.

Additionally, when asked about the number of households receiving zero electricity bills as an impact of this scheme, the minister said, “Receiving a zero electricity bill in a particular month upon the installation of a rooftop solar plant depends on various factors, such as the solar capacity of the rooftop solar plant, solar power generated, self-consumption of electricity by the consumer, and regulations issued by the respective state electricity regulator. Therefore, the number of such households is not fixed and is dynamic every month. However, estimates suggest that around 45% of households receive zero electricity bills.”

The data further revealed state-wise details of households benefiting from the scheme (as of January 27, 2025). Based on the data, households in Gujarat and Maharashtra continue to be the major beneficiaries. The data revealed that while Gujarat remains the highest beneficiary, providing energy to 351,273 households, Maharashtra benefited 192,936 households. On the other hand, Arunachal Pradesh was the only state without any beneficiaries, according to the shared data.

States like Jammu and Kashmir are also switching to rooftop solar. The Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) recently issued a tender that tentatively lists 7,039 buildings within 12 departments of the UT government.