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Time of India
14 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Assam far from 13,428 MW rooftop solar energy generation potential, working to bridge gap: Officials
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Although Assam has an estimated potential of 13,428 MW of rooftop solar (RTS) power generation, it is currently producing a mere 60 MW, officials and experts, however, said efforts were underway to reverse the trend with the state's Integrated Clean Energy Policy (ICEP) targeting the generation of 1,900 MW of rooftop solar power by 2030, a sharp increase from the 300 MW goal outlined in the Assam Renewable Energy Policy (AREP), 2022."Assam is at a pivotal moment in its climate change and energy journey. Fossil fuel dependence isn't going away soon but we are making a determined push," Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Assam Climate Change Management Society (ACCMS) Hirdesh Mishra is one of the most climate-vulnerable states in India and there is an urgent need for a transition to clean, reliable and locally available sources of energy, Mishra, also the Additional Principal Conservator of Forests (Climate Change), access remains a major hurdle and economics drives everything. Rooftop solar power will flourish as costs come down, Mishra estimated technical potential for RTS ranges between 7,321 MW in a conservative scenario and 13,428 MW under a high-utilisation scenario."With strong policy backing, growing consumer interest, and a rapidly evolving vendor ecosystem, the state is well-positioned to scale rooftop solar power across both urban and rural areas," the IFS officer part of the state government's recently announced ICEP, RTS has been categorically structured across three segments -- government, commercial and industrial (C&I), and responsibility for all three segments has been assigned to the electricity distribution company, Assam Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APDCL).APDCL's Deputy Manager (New and Renewable Energy) Baishali Talukdar said the state has made substantial progress under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme and to date, 20,000 solar installations have been successfully established, aggregating a capacity of around 60 pointed out that there are certain key hurdles such as limited consumer awareness, less number of solar vendors with skilled technicians, high upfront costs to be paid by consumers despite subsidies, and prolonged delays in availing loans by interested consumers."APDCL is, however, proactively addressing these issues through targeted awareness campaigns, streamlined vendor empanelment processes, and use of digital platforms for faster processing," she environmental think-tank, International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST), has conducted research and survey on the prospects of RTS in the state and called for focused interventions on high potential regions and consumer Programme Director Mandvi Singh said that RTS is especially important for Assam because it is a land-neutral technology."Our recent project experience has shown that land scarcity and acquisition challenges are significant barriers to large-scale renewable energy deployment in the state. In contrast, the vast untapped rooftop area presents a massive opportunity," he pointed fact, harnessing the full potential of the estimated 13,000 MW could power the entire state and create 1.8 lakh direct jobs, Singh said."Strategic interventions across policy, finance, and institutional frameworks can help unlock Assam's full RTS potential, making it a regional leader in solar energy," he to the study, a significant share, about 95 per cent of the estimated potential, is distributed across residential and mixed-use urban centres of Kamrup Metropolitan district, particularly Guwahati city, offer the highest RTS potential and in Guwahati alone, the estimated RTS capacity ranges from 625 to 984 installations are currently clustered within 200 km of Guwahati, while regions such as Barak Valley remain underserved, according to the has seen minimal growth in renewable energy when compared to western and southern Indian states which can be attributed to several factors, including the predominance of thermal power generation, which benefits from easy access to coal and gas, land constraints due to its primary use for agriculture, and challenges in governmental policy and implementation, it insolation (the amount of electromagnetic energy from the sun that reaches a specific area on the Earth's surface over a given period) in Assam shows a gradual decline from the southern to the northern regions with the southern districts of Hailakandi, Cachar, and Karimganj having the northeastern districts of Dhemaji and Tinsukia have the lowest levels of insolation and the others vary in the narrow band between these two levels, it added.
Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Kimbal Reaffirms Commitment to North-East Energy Transition at IEEMA's Northeastern Power Conclave Event
India PR Distribution New Delhi [India], June 16: Kimbal Private Limited, one of India's foremost OEM to Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Provider (AMISP) companies, reinforced its long-standing commitment to the North-East power sector at the Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA) regional energy summit held in Guwahati on 17-18 June 2025. During the opening session, Chief Business Officer Gurpreet Oberoi traced the region's transformation from manual billing to data-driven efficiency towards a reliable grid, underscoring that "smart meters are the foundation on which resilient, digitally empowered utilities are built." His remarks carried special significance as Kimbal's very first utility project began in Assam in 2016. That early collaboration laid the groundwork for today's large-scale deployments across the North-East. Since that first 14,000-meter pilot with APDCL, Kimbal has shipped more than 1.5 million integrated AMI endpoints in the region. Each endpoint pairs a BIS-certified single-phase or three-phase smart meter with an RF-mesh communication module and a secure, cloud-native Head-End System. The solution is live or under rollout with five Northeastern utilities --Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL), Sikkim Power Department, Department of Power Nagaland, and Department of Power Arunachal Pradesh--helping them curb technical and commercial losses, improve outage response, and introduce consumer-facing digital services. Nationwide, Kimbal has supplied over 3 million smart meters and has worked with more than twenty utilities, making it one of the fastest-growing AMI providers under India's ambitious Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Growth has been anchored by the company's four-acre mega manufacturing plant in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Fully automated assembly lines give the facility a rated capacity of 30,000 smart meters per day, while an in-house Manufacturing Execution System guarantees high precision throughput and complete traceability from PCB loading to final packaging. Kimbal's technology leadership extends beyond hardware. Its AI-enabled meter-reading solution, trained on computer-vision models, automatically extracts and registers data and diagnostics from photos of the static meters display. APDCL's early adoption of the tool accelerated their bill processing cycles and improved collection efficiency across not only urban but rural areas, too. Looking ahead, Kimbal is sharpening its focus on technology-driven energy intelligence with three new digital solutions in the pipeline. Energy Management Solution (EMS) will automate power procurement for commercial and industrial customers, continuously matching demand with the most cost-efficient supply. A dedicated Energy Monitoring Tool (EMT) will provide substation-level oversight, automating usage analytics and alerting operators to anomalies in real time. For households, a forthcoming appliance-wise consumption tracker will break down energy use by device, turning raw data into clear budgeting insights. This new product line reaffirms the company's commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation and extending affordable, reliable, high-quality electricity to everyone it serves. The Guwahati event drew senior officials from government departments, nodal agencies, distribution utilities, and manufacturing partners. Their discussions converged on a single theme: that reliable data and indigenous innovation are essential to the North-East's economic aspirations. About Kimbal Founded in 2011, Kimbal Private Limited delivers end-to-end AMI solutions, RF-mesh communication infrastructure, and AI-based tools that enable utilities to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to millions of consumers. The company's portfolio now spans hardware manufacture, software development, and data-intelligence-driven services designed to accelerate India's energy transition and support global decarbonization goals. For additional information, visit or email to stories@
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
2-hr rain triggers power cuts, waterlogging in Guwahati
1 2 Guwahati: Guwahati and its neighbouring areas experienced a spell of intense rainfall on Saturday evening, which lasted for about two hours, plunging several localities into darkness due to power cuts and paralysing traffic as uprooted trees and waterlogged roads brought the city to a rain, which grew heavier around 7pm accompanied by strong winds gusting upto around 65kmph, led to power outages across several parts of the city, including Chandmari, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Geeta Nagar and Rukminigaon, among official from the IMD said the rainfall and thunderstorms were a result of a cyclonic circulation over north Bangladesh and adjoining areas, with moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal adding to the severity. The weather station at Amingaon recorded the highest rainfall at 41mm, followed by North Guwahati College weather station with 26.5mm — both in north Guwahati. Rupnagar and Down Town University weather stations recorded 23.5 mm and 21mm of rainfall, respectively. According to IMD, the rainfall has occurred between 5.30pm and 8.30pm on Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) deployed teams to identify faults and restore power. Dibyajyoti Bhuyan, deputy manager at APDCL, said power outages had impacted multiple parts of the city due to snapped lines from fallen trees, and possible collapse of some electricity poles, although ground teams were still assessing the situation. Operation Sindoor Pak drones enter Indian airspace, explosions heard just hours after truce deal Sirens, explosions in border districts after Pak breaks deal: What we know so far 'What happened to ceasefire?' J&K CM after explosions heard across Srinagar He added that restoration may take time as repair teams are contending with waterlogging and fallen Talukdar, project officer at District Disaster Management Authority, Kamrup (Metro), said while the situation caused traffic snarls, no casualties were along Guwahati Shillong Road, Chandmari, Hatigaon, and Geetanagar led to heavy traffic disruptions during peak evening hours. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo In Ganeshguri, traffic halted for hours after a uni-pole in flood-prone areas like Rukminigaon, Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar and Rajgarh reported water entering homes and shops, expressing dissatisfaction with the administration's preparedness. Ambikagiri Nagar, increasingly affected by waterlogging, also saw rising water levels in lanes and low-lying houses. "The rain has caught us off guard, and we are suffering because of it. Earlier our area never had a problem with waterlogging, but the old drainage system, clogged with plastic and silt, have failed to cope with the sudden downpour," said Vikas Jha, a resident of Ambikagiri Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) is working to manage the waterlogging by deploying pumps in vulnerable areas. Nabajyoti Bordoloi, GMC chief engineer, said they are fully prepared to tackle waterlogging issues, with two additional pumps on standby in each of the 12 divisions for urgent response.
