In a significant boost to India's green energy transition, more than 7.7 lakh households across the country are now receiving zero electricity bills after installing rooftop solar panels under a central government scheme. The milestone was announced in Parliament on Tuesday by Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Shripad Yesso Naik.
Massive Subsidy Support and Loan Sanctions
Providing details of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the minister stated that the government has so far extended subsidy support worth a substantial Rs 13,926 crore. To further ease the financial burden on citizens, over 8.3 lakh loan applications have been sanctioned to assist with the installation costs of these rooftop solar plants.
According to the official data presented, a total of 24.35 lakh households have installed rooftop solar systems under the scheme as of now. The ambitious programme, which was launched in February 2024, has set a target of empowering one crore households by the financial year 2026-27. The government has allocated a massive outlay of Rs 75,021 crore to achieve this goal.
Farmers Turn 'Urjadata' with PM-KUSUM Benefits
In a separate reply, the minister highlighted the parallel success of the PM-KUSUM scheme, which is transforming farmers into energy producers or 'Urjadata'. The number of beneficiaries under this scheme has now crossed the 20-lakh mark.
The scheme has three key components designed to boost rural income and renewable energy adoption:
- Component A: Enables farmers to set up solar power plants, supplementing their role as 'Annadata' (food provider) with 'Urjadata' (energy provider).
- Component B: Focuses on replacing existing diesel agricultural pumps with solar-powered ones.
- Component C: Allows farmers to lease their land for solar projects, earning up to Rs 80,000 per hectare per year or Rs 25,000 per acre annually.
Naik informed that for plants commissioned under Component A, the median average income generated is approximately Rs 4.5 lakh per MW per month.
Progress on National Green Hydrogen Mission
The minister also provided updates on the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Under the incentive scheme for manufacturing electrolysers, 15 companies were awarded a total manufacturing capacity of 3,000 MW per annum, with incentives amounting to Rs 4,440 crore.
For green hydrogen production, 18 companies were awarded a cumulative production capacity of 8.62 lakh tonnes per annum. Furthermore, under the scheme for procurement of green hydrogen for refineries, two companies were awarded a total capacity of 20,000 tonnes per annum.
To foster innovation, four Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters have been sanctioned in Jodhpur, Pune, Bhubaneswar, and Kerala.
The detailed figures presented underscore the government's multi-pronged strategy to promote clean energy, reduce electricity costs for common households, create new revenue streams for farmers, and position India as a leader in emerging technologies like green hydrogen.
