People who instal solar equipment to get 30 per cent subsidy Mysore and the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad are among the 60 cities from across the country that have been included under the Union Government’s Solar City project, which aims to augment power generation from unconventional sources. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has appointed Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd (KREDL) as the nodal agency for implementing the project in Karnataka. The project aims to reduce by 10 per cent the projected demand of conventional energy at the end of five years by promoting harnessing of solar power in hospitals, hostels, industries and homes. The MNRE has already issued sanctions to 31 cities which have received in-principle approval and the cities have engaged consultants for preparation of the plan. KREDL Project Engineer, Mysore, D K Dinesh Kumar told Deccan Herald that the government funding for the project was Rs 9.5 crore and, MNRE had already released Rs 4 lakh for promotional activities. MNRE releases the money to KREDL, which will in turn pay it to the city corporations for implementation of the project. Under the project, 30 per cent subsidy is given to owners who would like to install solar energy system in their respective houses, Kumar said. For instance, if a resident wishes to install solar energy system for four bulbs in his house, it would cost around Rs 19,500. Subsidy and down payment would be Rs 4,320 and Rs 3,900 respectively and, the remaining amount is given as loan, he said. Similarly, solar uninterrupted power supply (UPS) would cost Rs 71,325. Subsidy and down payment for the UPS would be Rs 21,600 and Rs 14,264 and the remaining amount will be given as loan. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has tied up with KREDL in this regard. “It is a one-time investment and the beneficiary will have a long term benefit in terms of cost savings,” he said. Kumar said that in the first phase, MNRE has given approval for the implementation of the roof-top photo-voltaic project in the following areas in Mysore: Power plants of 60kW for Mysore City Corporation, 8kW for Kuppanna Park, 8kW for Cheluvamba Park, 75 kW for Mysore Urban Development Authority office and 45kW for nine zonal offices.