It’s been around a year since rooftop solar panels were installed at government schools in Mohali district, but around 45% of these are yet to become functional. The reason: These cannot be connected with the power supply lines of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) due to pending electricity bills to the tune of around ₹18 lakh.
As many as 118 photovoltaic (solar) panels were installed on the rooftops of schools in two phases at a cost of around ₹6 crore. Only 65 of these are functional as of now. The panels were installed by the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) under the on-grid solar net metering project scheme.
PSPCL’s Mohali circle superintending engineer Ashwani Kumar said, “Government schools have not cleared the outstanding amount of nearly ₹18 lakh. We cannot give them new connections unless they clear their dues.”
