Famous Indian singer Chinmayi Sripaada shared a photo of the newly cleaned roof solar panels at her mother-in-law’s house in Chennai on social media, noting how her family uses clean energy as energy demand increases during extreme heat.
In response, one million Twitter followers responded by asking about the price of solar panels, where they can get more information, and how to install them in their homes.
Sitting on a traditional swing in a living room in the leafy Chennai neighborhood of Sripaada, which writes songs for Indian films, Thomson told the Reuters Foundation: “I answered everyone who had questions and shared details of how we did it.”
“To be honest, I was waiting for questions, because they (the government) do not make it easy for anyone,” he said. “The information disseminated by the government is almost inaccessible, and even if people are interested in solar energy, they refuse after a while.”
By law, the solar panel has just been cleaned. There has been no real account for 3, maybe 4 years and the excess amount is donated to the EB 🙂
The transition to solar energy was the best. pic.twitter.com/tP9IZNSCpK
– Chinmayi Sripaada (hinChinmayi) April 2, 2022
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, India has seen the hottest march in more than 100 years, and officials forecast normal maximum temperatures in many areas in April.
The hot weather has already seen an increase in the use of air conditioning and is expected to be in higher demand throughout the Indian summer.
According to the government, states including Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Meghalaya recorded the highest energy demand growth rates in March.
Today, 40 percent of the electricity installed in India comes from renewable sources such as solar, wind and water.
According to the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, only 5.7 gigawatts (GW) of solar-powered roofing projects were built until last November – only part of the 40 GW roof solar target by the end of 2022.
The Asian Development Bank’s 2021 report notes that the residential sector is the worst of all solar-powered roofs in India.
According to researchers and consumer campaigners, the high cost of installing solar panels and delays in obtaining meters and obtaining state permits are the main reasons for low awareness of solar energy on the roofs of people’s homes.
Although residents know about the national roof solar scheme, most do not have specific details about technology, costs, maintenance requirements, performance, and system life.
“Awareness is not a priority for provincial governments, because they have it now [thermal] K Vishnu Mohan Rao, a researcher at the Nonprofit Civic Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), sees energy distribution utilities and solar energy as competition.
“There is information, but the whole point of awareness is to help people hide a complex system. No one is violating the logistics of installing solar energy on the roof for residents in India, ”he said.
One of the most popular alternatives for residents of apartment blocks with limited roof space is “digital solar energy”. Here, customers invest in panels installed in schools, shopping malls and other sites in exchange for loans to electricity accounts.
A 2019 study by the Energy, Environment and Water Nonprofit Council in the New Delhi neighborhood found that word of mouth is the most common source of information for residents, followed by solar vendors, television and electricity companies.
Rao has a similar experience in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu, where CAG conducts awareness and awareness programs using posters, videos, and demonstrations, allowing people to “touch and feel” the solar panel.
Selna Saji, head of policy and marketing strategy at SunEdison Renewable Energy, said: “The responsibility and cost of raising awareness now lies with retailers.
“But governments have a wider scope and are a more reliable source for people. The impact of the government promoting solar energy on the roof and saying it is good for people will be greater and will result in a faster transition to green energy, ”he said.
Officials from the New and Renewable Energy Ministry were not immediately available for comment.
However, in a 2021 parliamentary committee report on energy, the ministry said it periodically asked executive bodies to inform the public about the benefits of solar energy on the roof through the media, seminars and conferences.
He also developed a mobile app and a SPIN website to inform consumers about how to install solar energy on the roof, and asked all states to do the same.
‘Zero rupees’ banknotes
The 37-year-old singer Sripaada said she posted her weekend post about solar energy on the roof because summer is coming and she thought people might be interested in learning more about the transition.
She previously shared social media followers’ failures and frustrations by trying to persuade residents of her mother’s apartment block to install panels by informing them about her family’s solar-powered journey on the roof.
“It’s definitely getting warmer, and we’re seeing an increasing energy deficit every summer as more air conditioners run and demand for power increases. “People are now paying more for power.”
But my father-in-law has been receiving electricity, which has been written as “zero rupees” since a solar panel was installed on the roof. It can also re-energize the extra energy it creates. This is a victory and I will do my best to promote it, “he added.