State set to lead in rooftop solar power generation

Ruchika M. Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 29

The state may soon be the largest rooftop solar power generator in the country. It is looking at generating 100 MW of rooftop solar power in the next one year.

Last week, the state government through its nodal agency Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) allotted rooftop solar power projects to three companies and a religious dera. These companies will together generate 65 MW, and commercial generation, after the rooftop solar power plants are set up, will start by March next year.

PEDA officials told The Tribune that they had floated the largest tender for rooftop solar power generation (100 MW) last month and received bids for 65 MW. “We finished scrutinising the proposals last month. The final letters of award to the solar power companies and religious sect Radha Soami Satsang, Beas, have been given. “We will be signing power purchase agreements with the successful bidders. The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has announced the maximum rate at which we can buy solar power at Rs 7.72 per unit. We will be buying power from these companies at Rs 7.50 to Rs 7.70 per unit,” said Dr Amarpal Singh, secretary, PEDA.

The companies that have been awarded contracts are Azure Urja (10 MW) and Acme Solar (30 MW), besides the dera (12 MW) of rooftop power for gross metering (where they will sell the power generated to state power utility) and another 12 MW for net metering (self-consumption). A third company has been awarded contract for producing 1 MW of rooftop solar power.

Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, chairman and founder, ACME, told The Tribune, that their rooftop solar power project in Punjab (30 MW) would be the largest in the country. “We are in the final stages of deciding where to set up the plant,” he said.

The PEDA officials said Acme would be hiring agriculture land and setting up roof over the land. While exotic vegetable cultivation would be done on the land, the roof would be used for solar power production. They said the other two companies would be hiring rooftops of government buildings and large private buildings for setting up their projects.