Amaravati, Nov 25 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials on Monday to ensure that every home and office in the state generates and utilises solar power, to transform the state into a solar power generation hub.

The Chief Minister urged the implementation of plans to harness solar power to its full potential, taking advantage of the state's favourable weather conditions for optimal results.

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"Educate the public about the benefits of solar power and achieve the solarisation targets," Naidu said in an official press release. He added that people who install solar power systems on their rooftops should receive "free power" and earn additional income from the surplus energy they generate.

Naidu also instructed officials to familiarise the public with central schemes such as PM-Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM, while reviewing the state's progress on solar power.

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Officials said that Andhra Pradesh has set a target of implementing the PM Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli Yojana scheme in 30 lakh households, offering subsidies of up to Rs 78,000 for installing a 3-kilowatt solar power system, which costs up to Rs 1.45 lakh.

Over 70,000 applications have been received for the Surya Ghar scheme, with solar panels already installed on 4,961 rooftops. In Kuppam constituency, which serves as a pilot project for solarisation, 50,312 households have agreed to adopt solar power, they said.

Additionally, installing solar panels in all government offices could help the state save nearly Rs 379 crore in electricity bills. A total of 2,186 government offices have been identified for solar panel installation, costing Rs 262 crore and generating over 2.62 lakh kilowatts of power. The project will be executed by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVN), according to the press release.

The state is also exploring the feasibility of installing solar panels on the roofs of poor SC and ST households but found that it is only viable for 19 per cent of these homes, the release said.

Furthermore, Andhra Pradesh aims to designate 132 villages as “solar villages,” where every household will generate solar power, it added.

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