In a bid to meet the future electricity demand, the State Government has decided to implement solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in at least 25 un-electrified or power-starved villages in each district on a pilot basis. In this regard, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Science & Technology Surendra Kumar has asked the district Collectors to identify such villages soon. Sources said the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has proposed to launch a pilot scheme to provide solar PV-based home systems to every household in two villages or hamlets in every Lok Sabha constituency. Each household would be provided with a 100-200 watt peak solar PV system enough to provide power to three to five LED lights, one to two fans, mobile recharge and other small appliances at the discretion of the household. “Each system of 200 watt is expected to cost about Rs50,000, out of which 60 per cent will be provided by the MNRE. The State Government is being moved to provide 30-per cent as subsidy and the balance 10 per cent needs to be contributed by the beneficiary. In this regard, you are requested to identify at least 25 un-electrified or power-starved villages and hamlets in your district where there is an urgent need to provide power through solar systems,” Kumar has written to all the Collectors. Each village/hamlet may have 100 or more households. In case where such villages are not available, clusters of villages or hamlets with 100 or more households can also be selected, the Secretary has suggested. It should be noted that the State Government had last year decided to instal solar panels on rooftops of all Government establishments in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack under PPP model. The Government also floated a new PSU, the Green energy Development Corporation of Odisha Limited (GEDCOL) as the nodal agency for on-grid solar energy projects whereas off-grid generation such as solar cooking, pumping, refrigeration, heating and industrial process would be the responsibility of the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA). Currently, the State is generating eight MW of solar energy from small producers and has plans to produce at least 80 MW in next three years. It has the potential to generate around 10,000 MW of solar energy, as per a study conducted by the Government.