MODEL SOLAR VILLAGE

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Government of India recently issued Operational Guidelines for Implementation of ‘Model Solar Village’ under PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

EXPLANATION:

• The Scheme Guidelines for implementation of ‘Model Solar Village’ under PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana have been notified by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 9th August 2024.

Model Solar Village

• Under the scheme component ‘Model Solar Village’, emphasis has been made on creating one Model Solar Village per district across India.
• It aims to promote solar energy adoption and enabling village communities to become self-reliant in meeting their energy needs.
• A total financial outlay of ₹800 crore has been allocated for this component, providing ₹1 crore per selected Model Solar Village.
• In order to be considered a village under the competition mode, a village must be a revenue village with a population size above 5,000 (or 2,000 for special category states).
• The selection process involves a competitive mode where villages are assessed on their overall distributed renewable energy (RE) capacity installed on 6 months after the declaration of the potential candidate by District Level Committee (DLC).
• The winning village in each district, with the highest RE capacity, will receive a central financial assistance grant of ₹1 crore.
• The implementation of this scheme will be done by State/UT Renewable Energy Development Agency under the supervision of District Level Committee (DLC).
• It will be ensured that selected villages transition effectively to solar-powered communities, serving as models for other villages across the country.

PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana

• The Government of India approved the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana in 2024.
• It aims to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity.
• The scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27.
• Under the scheme, households will be provided with a subsidy to install solar panelson their roofs.
• The subsidy will cover up to 40% of the cost of the solar panels.
• The scheme is expected to benefit 1 crore households across India.
• It is estimated that the scheme will save the government Rs. 75,000 crore per year in electricity costs.
• The scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27.
• Under the scheme, DISCOMs are designated as State Implementation Agencies (SIAs) responsible for facilitating various measures, including net meter availability, timely inspection, and commissioning of installations.

SOURCE: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2044454