Maharashtra has officially begun with its first-ever solar village and inaugurated the complete solarisation of the village Manyachiwadi in Satara district by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Through the inauguration, Shinde shared that households all over the village will experience benefits of zero electricity bills due to PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijali Yojana. 

This scheme was launched by the Central Government which aims to provide 300 units of free electricity to one crore households in the country. 

Prasad Reshme, director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL) said that the entire village with a population of 400 has been equipped with 102 rooftop solar connections. Out of these, 97 connections were for residential purposes, allowing consumers to avail the benefits of 300 MW each month and have zero electricity bills. In addition, if consumers generate excess amounts of electricity they can earn an additional income by selling it back to MSEDCL. 

Street lights in various areas now work on grid-connected solar energy and the public water supply system operates on renewable energy. Rooftop solar installations are provided to schools, gram panchayat offices, and a flour mill in the village to fulfill their basic needs.

MSEDCL Managing Director Lokesh Chandra announced that the village has achieved 100% solarisation, and the Chief Minister has set a goal to take this success to 100 more villages across Maharashtra.

Through the Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana, residents of these selected villages will be eligible for a subsidy of up to Rs 78,000 to install solar panels with a capacity of up to 3 kW. This scheme allows them to generate their own electricity and earn an extra income by selling excess power back to MSEDCL at Rs 2.87 per unit. 

A spokesperson of MSEDCL in Baramati said that Manyachiwadi village has already started generating an extra amount of solar power and every resident will now receive income each month. 

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