Balasore: Thousands of consumers in northern Odisha are benefiting from accelerated rooftop solar installations, facilitated by Tata Power Northern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL) under the Utility Led Aggregation (ULA) model, particularly in rural areas.
The initiative of TPNODL, under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGY), has proven especially beneficial during peak summer time as over 6,300 consumers received zero-unit electricity bills in the latest billing cycle.
Additionally, over 50% of the billed consumers recorded a significant reduction in their monthly electricity charges.
TPNODL — a joint venture of Tata Power and Odisha government – has so far facilitated the installation of over 47 MW of rooftop solar capacity across its licensed area, with more than 22,000 consumers adopting solar solutions under the PMSGY scheme and ULA model.
These installations include 8127 consumers in Balasore, 4676 in Mayurbhanj, 3573 in Jajpur, 2900 in Keonjhar and 2751 in Bhadrak.
In all, over 11,500 consumers have benefited from the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, while an additional 10,500 consumers have utilised the ULA model across the five districts.
Rambhamani Sethi, a resident of Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district, noted that since installing a 1 kW rooftop solar system two months ago, she has received zero-unit bills for two consecutive months, which has provided vital financial support for her family.
Sabita Paley from Ghatgaon in Keonjhar district, who installed a 3 kW system, reported a substantial decrease in her energy costs. Her monthly electricity bill, which previously averaged between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500, has been reduced to Rs 150-200.
TPNODL has urged interested consumers to visit their nearest electricity office or contact the toll-free customer service helplines at 1800-3456-718 or 1912 for further assistance.
