Bhagyashree Apartment in Kothrud Goes Solar; Becomes Pune District’s First ‘Solar’ Apartment

Bhagyashree Apartment in Kothrud Goes Solar; Becomes Pune District's First ‘Solar’ Apartment

Bhagyashree Apartment in Kothrud Goes Solar; Becomes Pune District's First ‘Solar’ Apartment

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All Flats Powered by Solar Energy, Monthly Electricity Bills Reduced to Zero

Pune, January 22, 2025: By installing a 30 kW rooftop solar energy system for all domestic and common electricity connections, Bhagyashree Apartment in Kothrud has earned the distinction of being Pune District’s first ‘solar’ apartment. All electricity consumers in this apartment now have zero monthly electricity bills, resulting in a monthly saving of ₹35,000. Additionally, the residents have received a subsidy of ₹5.54 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Free Electricity Scheme.

Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol recently felicitated Bhagyashree Apartment residents Anand Deshpande, Mandar Deshmukh, and Satish Athawale in a representative ceremony. The event was attended by MLA Siddharth Shirole, MSEDCL Chief Engineer Rajendra Pawar, Superintendent Engineer Sinhaji Rao Gaikwad, and Executive Engineer Vijay Funde.

Bhagyashree Apartment, located in Rambag Colony, Kothrud, consists of 10 flats. Two years ago, an 11 kW solar energy project was installed on the building’s rooftop to power the lift, water pump, and lighting through a three-phase electricity connection. This initiative saved ₹15,000–₹16,000 in monthly electricity bills. Since August, MSEDCL officials, including Additional Executive Engineer Rajesh Kale, Branch Engineer Ashutosh Thorat, Janmitra Kailas Madavi, and Office Assistant Vijay Trimbake, have pursued rooftop solar projects for each flat under the PM Suryaghar Scheme.

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The residents of Bhagyashree Apartment responded positively to the initiative. Solar agency representative Deepak Kotkar supported the effort by inspecting the rooftop for panel installation. While the total approved load for the 10 flats was 81 kW, the available rooftop space could accommodate a 19 kW solar project. Based on monthly power consumption, 1 kW solar systems were installed for 4 flats, 2 kW systems for 3 flats, and 3 kW systems for the remaining 3 flats. Within a month, ten rooftop solar systems totaling 19 kW capacity were installed.

Mandar Deshmukh, a resident of Bhagyashree Apartment, stated, “Due to the collective positive decision of all flat owners, we were able to benefit from the PM Suryaghar Scheme, leading to zero monthly electricity bills. The total cost of these solar systems was ₹15.71 lakh, of which ₹5.54 lakh was received as a subsidy within a month. The remaining project cost will be recovered through savings on electricity bills within four years, which is a matter of immense joy for us.”

Rajendra Pawar, Chief Engineer, Pune Division, remarked, “Out of 18,640 applications received for the Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Scheme, 5,853 rooftop solar projects with a combined capacity of 28.9 MW have been operationalized. Maharashtra’s first green energy-based electric vehicle charging station was established in Pune, and Tekwadi village in Khed taluka earned the distinction of being the state’s second ‘Solar Village.’ Now, Bhagyashree Apartment has adopted solar energy for all its electricity needs. We are confident that this model will inspire other gram panchayats, housing societies, and apartment residents to adopt solar energy.”

Photo Details:

Caption: Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol felicitating Bhagyashree Apartment residents Anand Deshpande, Mandar Deshmukh, and Satish Athawale. MLA Siddharth Shirole and Chief Engineer Rajendra Pawar were also present.

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