The Union government has released Rs 5 crore to the UT administration that will be used to transfer solar subsidy to residents, who had installed solar plants on their rooftops.
In the new year, the UT administration will transfer subsidy amount in the account of eligible beneficiaries.
The Union government had recently notified the new subsidy scheme for rooftop solar units, wherein the amount has been raised from 30% to 40% for panels up to 3 kWp capacity.
For solar units from 4 kWp to 10 kWp, the subsidy will be 20%. The same has been adopted by the UT administration. There will be no subsidy for plants above 10kWp. Earlier, 30% subsidy was given to all applicants irrespective of the capacity of the plant.
Recently, the Chandigarh administration extended the deadline to install solar plants by March 2020.
Chandigarh Renewal Energy, Science and Technology Promotion Society (Crest), the nodal agency for installation of solar plants in Chandigarh, had recently proposed to extend the deadline to install solar plants by six months.
Following this, a notification was issued by UT chief administrator Ajoy Kumar Sinha to this effect. Earlier, the deadline was September 30 and before that it was June 30.
The administration in a notification issued on May 18, 2016, had made installation of rooftop solar power plants mandatory in residential houses measuring 500 sqyd and above and group housing societies. There are around 10,000 such houses in different parts of the city, including sectors 8 (417 houses), 11(493), 33 (643), 35 (419) and 36 (417 houses).
The Crest is also organizing awareness camps with traders, industrialists, resident’s welfare associations and hoteliers. Those who fail to install solar power plants despite directions of the UT administration will be served notices by the estate office, which is the custodian of all the buildings, both commercial and residential, in the city.