Guwahati, Oct. 2: The Congress is not only in power in Assam but is also generating power.

At Rajiv Bhawan today, chief minister Tarun Gogoi inaugurated a net metering system, which can generate 2kW of solar power.

Assam PCC, which has set up the net metering system, claimed it was the first such project in the country.

Despite being a cloudy day, the project produced 2 kW of power today, enough to spread awareness about the net metering system, feels the PCC.

The PCC has signed a power purchase agreement with the Assam State Electricity Board, according to which electricity from the plant will be fed into the SEB grid and the SEB will pay the PCC Rs 4 per unit. On an average the plant will produce 8kW of energy a day (16 units), fetching Rs 64 daily.

Raju Prasad Sharma, PCC secretary, the force behind the solar photovoltaic technology (SPV), which uses panels installed on rooftops to receive sunlight and convert it into electricity, told The Telegraph, “This is the first SPV project under a net metering system in India. The amount we will earn will be adjusted against our monthly bill, which is over Rs 20,000 a month. But it the concept of net metering system has got a big boost in a power-deficient state like ours. Anyone interested can set up such a plant and sell power to ASEB. A developer can take permission from the SDO office in their area. The chief minister and ASEB chairman S.C. Das had backed the project to the hilt while industry department has given a capital investment subsidy of 30 per cent upto 10MW projects.”

The PCC plant has cost around Rs 1.6 lakh to set up.

“The actual cost would have been around 1.2 lakh had we not flown the materials needed for the plant from China. But that would have seen us wait for three more months,” Sarma said.

Such a project takes around three to four years to break even and since it has a life of 25 years, the developers can make good money for around 20 years, said Saurav Bhuyan of Sai Renewable Energy Enterprise that is associated with the project.

Experts feel solar energy can help ease the peak hour power deficit of around 350 MW in Assam.

The PCC chose Gandhi Jayanti today for the launch because Mahatma Gandhi wanted every household to benefit from development plans, Sarma said. Both Gogoi and PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita sang paeans to the ideals of Gandhi. The duo also participated in a peace rally from Gandhi Mandap to Rajiv Bhawan.