Northeast Desk, 13th August: Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Meghalaya is embarking on a transformative solar mission aimed at achieving an impressive installed power capacity of 200-300 MW.
To realize this ambitious goal, the state government has committed to a substantial annual investment of around Rs 100 crore over the next five years.
In a bid to encourage widespread adoption of solar energy, the government is offering attractive subsidies. Large solar units stand to gain up to 70 percent subsidy, while smaller units can avail up to 50 percent subsidy. Moreover, the mission is working in tandem with banks to streamline financing, making it possible for individuals to secure up to 40 percent of the total solar unit cost.
Envisioning a brighter energy future, Meghalaya aims to equip 30-40% of households with solar units, ensuring self-reliance from the conventional power grid and providing a reliable 8 to 9 hours of backup during load-shedding instances.
Aligned with the mission’s objectives, units with a capacity of 40 KVA will benefit from a 50 percent subsidy, and those exceeding 10 KVA will have the opportunity for net metering. This empowering arrangement allows surplus power to be fed back into the grid, earning credits on electricity bills.