Telangana to add 50 MW solar capacity through rooftop model

Works are on to create a charging station every 25 km in the State to ensure that the electric vehicle users do not have range anxiety.

Hyderabad: Telangana is planning to add about 50 MW solar capacity shortly through the rooftop model. The State already has about 260 MW. This apart, works are on to create a charging station every 25 km in the State to ensure that the electric vehicle users do not have range anxiety, said N Janaiah, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) , the nodal agency for renewable energy projects.

“There has been a good response to the rooftop scheme. It is a good way to get some returns even as you produce clean energy. For a 3kw system, with up to 40 per cent subsidy, the cost of installation will be about Rs one lakh. The lifespan of the system is about 25 years or more. Everyday, it will generate an average 12 to 15 units. The average cost of service by the discoms is Rs 6 per unit. This is the direct savings to the consumers who install the rooftop solar units,” he said.

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On a query on the electric vehicle ecosystem developing in the State, he said about 1,000 charging stations locations have been identified. Most of these will be ready in a month or two. These are being taken up in a PPP model including through the oil marketing companies. These will ensure that there is at least one charging station every 25 km covering the State as well as National highways. They would be more frequent within the city limits.

TSREDCO has a portal, TSEV, to provide information on policies and regulations, nearby charging stations, State specific news, announcements and resources. Telangana now has 8,000 electric two-wheelers and 400 cars.

“Telangana State is attracting investments in manufacturing of the EV equipment, charge point locations and also charging station equipment. Electric two wheeler assembly is already happening here. We are focused on battery units for the two and three wheelers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Chairman and Managing Director Pushp Kumar Joshi on Saturday launched an EV charging station the company owned retail outlet near Osmania University. The EV charging station is put up in partnership with Charge Dock, a Bengaluru based start-up. It will cater to 4-wheelers. It a 30KW capacity CCS 2 charger and a 7.4 KW Type 2 AC charger at the facility. The facility will be available to the EV owners free of cost at the moment, a release said.

“EVs are efficient than the internal combustion engine. Range anxiety remains one of the main reasons for low adoption of EVs. We are working to advance the accessibility of charging through investing and partnering. HPCL already has more than 1,000 chargers on its retail outlets. We have planned to have 5,000 EV Charging Stations by 2024-25,” Joshi said.