Pagidipalli (Nalgonda): At a time when the entire state has plunged into darkness due to unscheduled and prolonged power cuts, Nalgonda is gearing up to become a shining example of a power cut-free district. As a first step to achieve the distinction, Pagidipalli village in Bibinagar mandal in the district has successfully put behind power cut woes by installing solar panels.
Funded by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), the pilot solar scheme was launched in Pagidipalli a year ago. As part of the initiative, 63 solar stand-alone streetlights and 360 8-watt light emitting diode (LED) bulbs have been installed in the village at a cost of Rs15 lakh.
Pagidipalli has 230 households with a population of 1,500, majority of whom are either farmers or those who work in the surrounding factories.
This automatic system can provide light for 12 hours in the night. BEE distributed LED lamps to the households at 50% subsidy. “We don’t have
much problem in using them. If we face any problem with solar panels, Nedcap which has supported the initiative helps us,” Ch Chandrasekhar, a villager, told TOI. He says that there is 70% decrease in their electricity bill after they started relying on solar power and LED lamps.The village panchayat played an active role in convincing the people to use solar bulbs when there was some resistance to the proposal. “Not just villagers but the village panchayat has also benefited from this. We are saving Rs 1 lakh per year ever since we switched over to this programme,” V Venkatesh, former sarpanch, told TOI. Buoyed by the success, officials are planning to implement a similar project in Miryalaguda at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
The municipality is willing to allocate Rs 2.5 crore. Officials are mulling offering subsidy for those who are willing to take solar power connections. “We will hold discussions with the stakeholders including the residents of the town before implementing the project,” Neelakantham, incharge joint collector, said.
Funded by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), the pilot solar scheme was launched in Pagidipalli a year ago. As part of the initiative, 63 solar stand-alone streetlights and 360 8-watt light emitting diode (LED) bulbs have been installed in the village at a cost of Rs15 lakh.
Pagidipalli has 230 households with a population of 1,500, majority of whom are either farmers or those who work in the surrounding factories.
This automatic system can provide light for 12 hours in the night. BEE distributed LED lamps to the households at 50% subsidy. “We don’t have
much problem in using them. If we face any problem with solar panels, Nedcap which has supported the initiative helps us,” Ch Chandrasekhar, a villager, told TOI. He says that there is 70% decrease in their electricity bill after they started relying on solar power and LED lamps.The village panchayat played an active role in convincing the people to use solar bulbs when there was some resistance to the proposal. “Not just villagers but the village panchayat has also benefited from this. We are saving Rs 1 lakh per year ever since we switched over to this programme,” V Venkatesh, former sarpanch, told TOI. Buoyed by the success, officials are planning to implement a similar project in Miryalaguda at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
The municipality is willing to allocate Rs 2.5 crore. Officials are mulling offering subsidy for those who are willing to take solar power connections. “We will hold discussions with the stakeholders including the residents of the town before implementing the project,” Neelakantham, incharge joint collector, said.
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