Media Capacity Workshop - Report
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), in association with Poovulagin Nanbargal and Asar Social Impact Advisors organised a media capacity workshop at the Raintree Hotel, Alwarpet on 15th May 2025. The workshop saw the participation of 30 media representatives, including reporters and radio representatives from various media houses in Chennai. The participants were provided with IEC materials.
Mr. Vishnu Mohan Rao, Programme Lead, CAG gave an introduction to the participants stating the objectives of the workshop which was to help journalists, individual content creators, and social media influencers understand various aspects of rooftop solar energy so that they can generate greater awareness about the subject and encourage people to opt for rooftop solar energy solutions.
The event commenced with a welcome address by Mrs. Priya Pillai, Director, State Climate Action, Asar. Mrs. Priya addressed the participants saying the workshop primarily focused on understanding the thoughts as well as the challenges faced by the media in reporting about Solar. Mrs. Priya highlighted that electricity accounts for a substantial percentage of Tamil Nadu's carbon emissions. She emphasised the importance of rooftop solar, describing it is a truly people-centered and independent solution that empowers communities and embraces sustainability. Further, she noted that the media can play an important role in bridging the gap between the people and the government by shedding light on the challenges faced by households in setting up solar systems, despite the many policies that are meant to aid in uptake.
Mr. Sundarrajan G, Member, Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, addressed the meeting and emphasised that solar energy represents ‘energy democracy’, enabling households to generate their own energy. He said that rooftop solar PV systems offer a decentralised, disaster-resilient power solution that minimises transmission and distribution losses. Chennai city holds vast potential for rooftop solar energy with estimated capacity reaching around 1.5 GW. To help harness this resource the electricity department is set to launch a user-friendly tool to support domestic consumers in installing rooftop solar systems.
Panel Discussion 1: Renewable Energy: Pathway for Rooftop Solar uptake in Tamil Nadu
The workshop then moved on to its opening panel discussion on Renewable Energy: Pathway for Rooftop Solar uptake in Tamil Nadu. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. R. Sethumadhavan, Professor & Director (Retd.), Institute for Energy Studies, Anna University.
Mr. Vinodhan R.K, Former Director-Technical, Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL), shared the state electricity department's target to install 1 million rooftop solar plants. He also mentioned the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which is a government scheme launched in the 2024-25 budget to provide solar power and free electricity to households. The scheme aims to illuminate one crore homes by providing 300 units of free electricity per month. The initiative offers subsidies of Rs. 20,000 for 1 kW solar systems and up to Rs.78,000 for 3 kW systems. He noted that promoting rooftop solar plants will significantly contribute to the state's goal of achieving 50% renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Mr. Ashok Kumar, President, Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Developers Association (TNSEDA), pointed out that Tamil Nadu has fallen to 7th position in rooftop solar adoption due to low consumer awareness. He emphasised that there is a serious lack of awareness about rooftop solar and its benefits that hasn’t reached people. He advocated for eliminating the requirement to obtain State Chief Electrical Inspectorate approval for below 10 kW rooftop solar installations, pointing out that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) doesn't mandate this requirement.
Mr. Shyju Abraham, Divisional Manager - Retail Loans, Canara Bank, shared his insights on financing rooftop solar - the available options, and how banks support the growth of this sector while minimising risks for lenders and borrowers. Mr. Shyju said that the PM Surya Ghar scheme offers loans of up to ₹6 lakhs for installing rooftop solar PV systems. Moreover, loans up to ₹2 lakhs come with favourable terms, including no income proof requirement, no guarantee needed, and a low interest rate of 6.5%, even less than gold loans. He added that for loans from 2-6 lakhs, only 9.25% interest is charged with a 10-year repayment tenure.
Mr. Tharun, VESAT Renewable Private Limited, also highlighted the necessity to remove the need for State Chief Electrical Inspectorate clearance for up to 10 kW rooftop solar systems, again noting that the MNRE doesn't actually require this approval, as this delays the process of installation of rooftop solar in apartments and housing societies. He also requested the media to influence policy change and to promote success stories, thereby creating more awareness of rooftop solar systems.
Mr. Madhusudan Thirumalla, Prosumer, Chrompet, spoke about his experiences with rooftop solar adoption. He shared that he installed a rooftop solar PV system of 4.5 KW capacity. He pointed out that the complete installation process, including wiring, was finished within 2-3 days. He highlighted that the installation was a hassle-free process for him because of the solar vendor. He shared that the system can be monitored through a mobile application. He also shared that his panel on some days generates 31 units of electricity, which is more than the average daily generation. He emphasised the importance of maintenance and regular cleaning of the panels, as this is needed to maintain the efficiency of the panels.
Mrs. Madhupriya, RWA representative, pointed out the economic benefits of rooftop solar. She further highlighted that with rooftop solars, smaller savings lead to bigger savings.
Q&A Session
The presentations were followed by a Question & Answer session where participants asked questions covering all the aspects of rooftop solar.
- Ms. Revathy from News Tamil 24x7 asked, “Why is Tangedco investing in thermal power plants instead of solar energy projects?” Mr. Vinodhan responded that the increase in private investments in the renewable energy sector has lessened the necessity for Tangedco to invest directly in solar initiatives.
- Mr. Manikkam from Polimer News raised a question about the absence of schemes for farmers. In response, Mr. Vinodhan pointed out that there is already a scheme in place called the PM Kusum Scheme. This scheme offers farmers solar irrigation pumps, helping them cut down on their dependence on diesel pumps. Additionally, it boosts their income by enabling them to sell any excess solar power they generate.
- Mr. Guruvamikanathan, New Indian Express, asked why focus is limited to domestic buildings. Why not focus on commercial buildings also? It was explained that net metering is only available for domestic connections and not for commercial spaces which remains an important challenge in promoting rooftop solar PV systems.
- Mr. Kannan, Sun News asked how someone interested in installing solar would identify a vendor. It was explained that one can log into TANGEDCO’s website where they have a list of empanelled vendors to choose from.
Panel Discussion 2 : Reporting on Rooftop Solar: Critical Responsibilities and Overcoming Challenges
The workshop then proceeded to the second panel discussion - Reporting on Rooftop Solar: Critical Responsibilities and Overcoming Challenges. The second panel discussion was moderated by Mrs. Kavitha Muralidharan, Senior Independent Journalist.
Ms. Jency Samuel, Editor, WINDPRO Magazine shared about how the media can effectively report on rooftop solar to raise awareness and promote adoption. She stressed the importance of the media having a better understanding of solar before reporting. Ms.Jency agreed that awareness on rooftop solar was lacking and that to create awareness, success stories should be utilized featuring different stakeholders like homeowners, MSME representatives etc. She also emphasized that there was a need for consistent reporting covering all the aspects of rooftop solar.
Mr. R. Srikanth, Principal Correspondent, The Hindu, shared his insights on the key challenges in covering renewable energy, particularly rooftop solar in mainstream media.
He explained that The Hindu was a pioneer in covering rooftop solar and they have consistently covered the topic since 2015. Mr.Srikanth emphasized that there was no subsidy available during the early years with solar being an option available only to upper middle class families. He added that the government has to lead the way and take up the responsibility of creating awareness. Mr. Srikanth also shared how journalists can effectively communicate complex renewable energy issues to a broader audience. He said that while taking this to the broader audience rather than talking about all the technicalities involved, showcasing success stories would be a much better strategy.
Mr. S. Guruvamikanathan, Special Correspondent, The New Indian Express, shared his perception on the future evolution of the rooftop solar industry. He said that installed solar capacity in the state as well as the country is drastically increasing and will continue to increase. Mr. Guru also said that it was the government's responsibility to create awareness discussing how rural areas still weren’t familiar with rooftop solar.
Mr. Vincent D'souza, Editor, Mylapore Times, spoke on how the local media can play a role in promoting awareness about rooftop solar and renewable energy in local communities. He said that local media plays an important role and positive reporting can help. He also emphasized that the network of stakeholders is what is missing and the media can help bridge that gap.
Ms. Bavithra Krishnaswamy, Programming Head, Big FM explained the role of radio in promoting awareness about rooftop solar and renewable energy. She highlighted how radio can simplify complex stories and therefore amplify it. She said that radio can strengthen the narration and to take the rooftop solar to normal people there should be compelling true stories.
Mr. Rajasekar, Hello FM added that people will grow more aware only if the government takes consistent efforts to share the benefits of rooftop solar with the public.
Mr. Bharath Ram, CAG concluded the session by emphasizing the critical importance of media engagement in promoting awareness about rooftop solar initiatives. He urged journalists and media outlets to consistently cover developments in this sector, highlighting the potential benefits of rooftop solar technology for energy sustainability and environmental conservation.
The workshop concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks by Mr. Hari Subbish Kumar, Senior Program Manager, Asar. Mr. Hari extended sincere gratitude to all individuals and organizations who contributed to the successful planning and execution of the Media Capacity Workshop.
Conclusion
The media workshop successfully created a platform for media professionals to exchange ideas, challenges, and strategies for more effective reporting on rooftop solar, paving the way for improved public awareness and adoption of renewable energy solutions across Tamil Nadu. Speakers emphasised the importance of well-informed and consistent reporting on solar energy. Speakers highlighted that effective coverage requires understanding the technology, sharing compelling success stories, and simplifying complex concepts for the general audience. The panellists agreed that while the media plays a crucial role in raising awareness, government leadership is equally important in promoting rooftop solar adoption. The workshop concluded with calls for consistent reporting of solar issues, reinforcing the primary message of the workshop.