APSPDCL Reaches 1 Lakh Rooftop Solar Connections in Six Months

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) has connected to the power grid one lakh rooftop solar systems with a combined capacity of 210 MW in six months, making it first of the state’s three discoms to cross the milestone under the utility-led aggregation model.

These installations are at the houses of eligible scheduled caste and scheduled tribe consumers in the nine districts under APSPDCL’s jurisdiction. The utility seeks to install rooftop solar systems at 2.07 lakh SC and ST consumer households with a combined capacity of 415 MW, according to official figures available on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s ULA portal.

APSPDCL chairman and managing director Shiva Shankar Lotheti said the remaining 1.07 installations are being taken up on a priority basis. He said the discom is streamlining the process of obtaining consent from eligible consumers ahead of the solar rooftop installation and grid connectivity.

The rooftop solar units are being implemented under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which aims to install one crore such systems across the country. The additional power generated by these rooftop solar systems is fed into the area’s power grid.

Lotheti said they had crossed the one-lakh connections mark through coordination among field officers, staff, and the agencies involved in installing the solar systems. “The discom will speed up remaining installations and their connection to the grid," he stated.