Antony

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[Antony @antony_chacko15]

A humble request to @TVKPartyHQ @TVKVijayHQ @CTR_Nirmalkumar

In light of the ongoing West Asia crisis, Tamil Nadu must prepare for rising fuel prices, possible shortages, and increasing financial pressure on ordinary families.

At this juncture, I humbly request the Government of Tamil Nadu and TANGEDCO to rethink rooftop solar policy - not as a “bill reduction scheme,” but as an “income generation opportunity” for citizens.

Tamil Nadu has enormous rooftop solar potential. Yet today, Gujarat has already crossed 5.8 GW of rooftop solar adoption, while Tamil Nadu is still around 1.1 GW.

Why?

Because Gujarat incentivizes people better.

In Gujarat:

• There is no restrictive export cap on rooftop solar generation.

• Citizens can generate as much electricity as their rooftop allows.

• True net metering exists - if the government charges ₹5 per unit, it also pays ₹5 per unit for excess power supplied back to the grid.

• There are no network charges for supplying power to the grid.

But in Tamil Nadu:

• Rooftop solar export is capped at 10 kW.

• Excess generation is mostly adjusted against future bills instead of creating real monthly income.

• Citizens are paid only around ₹3.61/unit annually for surplus power.

• Consumers still pay ₹400–₹500 as network charges.

These policies unintentionally discourage citizens from investing aggressively in rooftop solar.

If incentives improve, a massive economic and energy transformation can happen across Tamil Nadu.

People will start viewing rooftop solar as an investment asset that generates monthly passive income.

Families with larger rooftops will willingly invest capital into producing more power.

This will also accelerate EV adoption because families with excess solar power can drastically reduce petrol and diesel expenses.

Similarly, people can shift towards induction and infrared cooking, reducing dependence on LPG cylinders and insulating themselves from future fuel shortages and price shocks.

Instead of importing expensive fossil fuels using precious foreign exchange, Tamil Nadu can empower its own citizens to become decentralized energy producers.

This single policy shift can:
• Reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels
• Reduce TANGEDCO’s expensive power purchases
• Increase household income
• Accelerate EV adoption
• Reduce LPG dependence
• Cut carbon emissions
• Keep hundreds of crores circulating within Tamil Nadu’s economy

My humble request:

Remove the 10 kW export cap

Implement true net metering

Remove discouraging network charges

Reposition rooftop solar as a citizen income-generation movement

Let us adjust the incentives to change the outcome.

Tamil Nadu has the opportunity to become a global model for democratic, citizen-led green growth and energy resilience.

Looking forward to your acknowledgment and thoughts.
Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu @TVKVijayHQ & Hon. Minister for Electricity @CTR_Nirmalkumar

[Antony @antony_chacko15]

https://t.co/Riq74cznFp

[Antony @antony_chacko15]

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