State Bank of India, in partnership with the World Bank launched the first series of a training program for its staff who would handle the central government’s Grid-connected Rooftop Solar PV Technical Assistance Program (GRPV) to generate solar power. The program has been launched with a World Bank loan of $625 million to the bank and is expected to help the government to reach its target of GRPV implementation. The ministry of new & renewable energy and the World Bank have proposed a technical assistance (TA) program to address the barriers and ensure a smooth uptake of rooftop installation in residential, commercial and industrial entities. SBI has taken up the key role of providing debt finance for the GRPV program. Some 180 SBI officers will be trained in the first such program, which are being held at the bank’s training centers in Gurugram and Hyderabad. A series of similar training programs will be organized by the bank in the coming months. The program will provide a thorough understanding about the structure, the business models, financing opportunities, risks and risk mitigation strategies, and costing involved in installing solar systems. The course content has been developed by updating the modules developed earlier by the USAID PACE-D Program, as per the Solar Proposal Evaluation Specialist Qualification Pack (QP) of Skill Council for Green Jobs, which has been declared a National Qualification and is part of the National Qualification Register.
