Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy Ali Shareef has said 1 MW of solar systems have been installed in 250 households so far under the ‘Magey Solar’ programme.
The minister made the remarks while speaking on the ‘Ahaashey Bunaanan’ programme.
The Magey Solar programme aims to reduce household electricity costs and make use of available energy resources. It supports the government’s target of generating 33 percent of the Maldives’ electricity from renewable sources. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are installed only in households under the programme, with the selected households determined by order of application.
According to Minister Ali Shareef, Fenaka Corporation Limited has been contracted to install the systems. A combined capacity of 1 MW has already been installed in 250 households, while another 298 households that have registered for the programme are expected to receive installations by the end of this month or next month. He said the government is exploring how to expand the programme further, after receiving instructions to look into opening it more widely to the general public.
A total of 748 households will be allocated solar installations under the programme. The number of households to be installed in each atoll has already been determined. The programme uses net metering, allowing households to feed electricity into the grid. Systems will be 3 kW or 5 kW, either single-phase or three-phase, with the exact capacity determined after a household survey.
No advance payment is required for installation, but an installation fee must be paid when the contract is signed.