Panaji: With the state currently facing a power crisis and an 80 MW demand-supply gap, officials of the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) are urging residential societies to generate electricity through rooftop solar and avail of state and central subsidies.
Goa presently has a rooftop solar scheme for group housing societies, offering a combined subsidy of Rs 40,500 per kWp from the central and state governments. While there are over 3,000 housing co-operative societies in the state, hardly any have come forward to avail of the group scheme, a senior official said on Wednesday. Rooftop solar panels will help residential societies lower their energy costs while also reducing the state’s electricity supply burden. The government has also made provisions in the building bye-laws to facilitate solar installations, the official noted.
GEDA expects the state to fall significantly short of its target of 21,200 rooftop solar power installations for 2026-27 under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijlee Yojana, as only 3,936 installations have been completed to date.
The total solar power capacity achieved through the scheme stands at 32.4 MW, with only 5,189 households opting for solar power so far. Consequently, Goa remains among the states with the lowest per capita solar panel installations, according to GEDA.
“March 2028 is the deadline for the subsidy scheme to end,” an official said.
The official added that the subsidy offered for solar power in the state is highly attractive. A 3 kW rooftop installation is eligible for a subsidy of Rs 1,45,000 against a total project cost ranging between Rs 1,80,000 and Rs 2 lakh. For industrial consumers, the subsidy covers 20 per cent of the project cost, while for institutional consumers, it goes as high as 50 per cent.
Since September 4, industries have been experiencing load shedding as the electricity department continues to struggle to purchase adequate power from the national grid.
