Amal Chandra Goswami of Doomdooma is a conscious consumer. He keeps himself abreast of Government schemes. One of the schemes that caught his attention earlier this year was the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special scheme for contributing towards the largest public participation in terms of green energy. Through this scheme, consumers will be able to reduce their electricity bill by generating up to 300 units of electricity with the help of solar energy.
Goswami immediately seized the chance and applied for it. He has been supported by the Assam Government which encouraged him to install ‘Rooftop’ solar power within a very short time.
“We applied to install a 2 KW solar power plant and got the benefits, too. The entire scheme took shape from June 20. By July-August, we also got subsidies from the Central and State Governments,” Goswami told Asom Barta.
“Around 169 and 180 units of electricity have been generated in July and August respectively while 155 units of electricity have been generated till September 21. In July, our electricity bill reduced by around 55% and the fall in August was around 65%,” Goswami said.
Under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, Assam Power Distribution Company Limited started the net-metering system for residential consumers in the State from September. Solar units exported by customers to APDCL grid for installation of rooftop solar power up to 10 kW will be subtracted from the units imported from the APDCL grid and the electricity bill will be generated on the basis of the remaining units.
As a result, a significant number of customers who have installed rooftop solar power have received ‘zero’ bills for several days in September. Amal Chandra Goswami told this reporter that his bill was zero for up to 15 days till September 21.
Similarly, Jayanta Roy Choudhury of Goalpara district installed 3 KW of solar power around two months ago.
“This step is helping to protect the environment while increasing the capacity to generate more energy,” he said. He added that earlier he used to pay ₹3,000 for electricity which has drastically come down this month.
Utpal Dutta from Jorhat is also a beneficiary of this scheme. “This step taken by the Government is very welcome,” he said in a text to this reporter.
Utpal Kumar Baruah from Guwahati, who installed a 7 KW solar plant, also lauded the move.
He said, “This scheme has contributed to strengthening the quest for self-reliance in energy production. Moreover, the recent net-metering system introduced by APDCL will provide relief and encourage customers to go for it.”
Subal Malakar of Margherita was paying ₹1,500-2,000 as his monthly power bill. He installed a solar plant around two months earlier and is now experiencing a drop in his power bills.
“Around 425 units of electricity have been generated till September. We can monitor allied aspects, including power generation, at home through a designated app, which has increased our confidence in the entire system. Aware of this, many individuals have registered through the portal to avail the benefits of the scheme,” Malakar informed this newsletter.
An APDCL official said, “Various steps have been taken by the department to ensure that the people get the benefit of the scheme. One of these is the net-metering system. Customers do not have to spend any money to purchase and install smart metres for connections made under the scheme.”
