Chief minister Eknath Shinde during inauguration of the complete solarisation of the village Manyachiwadi in Satara district. MUMBAI: Maharashtra has finally got its first-ever solar village , with the inauguration of the complete solarisation of the village Manyachiwadi in Satara district by chief minister Eknath Shinde. During the inauguration, Shinde said that zero electricity bills for households in the village, which will now reap the benefits of rooftop solar, are due to the PM Suryaghar Muft Bijali Yojana .
This scheme, established by the Central Govt , aims to provide 300 units of free power to one crore households across the country. MSEDCL director Prasad Reshme said that the entire village, with a population of 420, has been given 102 rooftop solar connections. Of these, 97 connections are for residential use, wherein the consumers can enjoy free power up to 300 MW every month, resulting in zero electricity bills.
Additionally, if the consumers generate surplus solar energy, they can earn extra income by selling it back to MSEDCL. The street lights in the area have also been energised through grid solar, and the public water supply system works on renewable energy. The school, gram panchayat office, and a flour mill in the village also have rooftop solar installations to meet their energy requirements.
MSEDCL managing director Lokesh Chandra said that there is 100% solarisation in the village, and the CM has now set a target of 100 such villages being solarised acr.