The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has given approval for a ₹2.3 crore pilot solar project at Irumbai village. The project will be undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) and Tangedco to ensure 24x7 power supply to the village at Vanur taluk in Villupuram district.
In its petition, TEDA, the government’s nodal arm for promoting renewable energy, stated that the Irumbai village solar project aims to demonstrate how villages in the State can tap locally available solar resources and thus generate renewable energy.
Further, the project will act as a model that can be implemented on a large scale, it added.
The State Planning Commission has accepted the proposal of TEDA to install 170 KWp grid connected solar photovoltaic power plants without battery at Irumbai village, subject to the condition that 10% of the project cost has to be contributed by the local body, TNERC noted.
The solar energy generated by the village project would be sold to Tangedco and the revenue would be utilised for further research, it noted.
TEDA stated that with solar power, uninterrupted power supply will be given to the village. It will study the impact of the project on the village in terms of livelihood, education and economy, TNERC added. TNERC also fixed a levelised tariff of ₹0.96 per unit, at which Tangedco will procure the solar power and also gave certain exemptions for building infrastructure for the project.
It also directed TEDA and Tangedco to meet all the compliance requirements in terms of the project.
