The rooftop solar policy, a much-awaited Delhi-government initiative to encourage societies and institutions to use renewable energy, will finally be a reality after a year's delay. According to official information, the project has received all required clearances from the Delhi cabinet and the LG office.
The Delhi government's power department confirmed that all required preparations were in place and that a notification announcing the recent developments would be issued within a week. Earlier, the project was supposed to start by November 2016 but got delayed finalising private vendors.
SK Shrivastava, executive officer from the power department and in charge of the policy, said, “We have finalised 70 private vendors who have been approved by both the cabinet and the LG office."
Group housing societies, RWAs, individuals, or groups of people or private institutions interested in installing rooftop solar panels for their own consumption can now apply to avail solar panels and get a 30 per cent subsidy from the government.
As per the officials’ claim, the state government has formulated five categories under which applications for installing solar systems will be accepted. The first two categories are 1 to 4 kW and 5 to 10 kW, which are small-capacity plants for flats and houses. Installations above 10 kW will be primarily for schools, companies, hospitals and office buildings.
The generation-based incentive (GBI) given by the Delhi government will be rolled out for a period of three years and will cost the government around Rs 50 crore. “A 2 kW rooftop plant will need around 20 sq m of 'shadow-free' area and will cost about Rs 80,000 after availing the 30 per cent subsidy," said Shrivastava. "Similarly, installing a 5-6 kW system will require a 50-sq m open area and cost about Rs 2 lakh. A 10 kW plant will require 100 sq m of area and cost about Rs 3 lakh.”
Those who instal the smaller solar power systems of up to 2 KW will be exempt from certification by any government authority and only self-certification will be required. Households will get tax exemptions and relaxations in building bylaws after installing the solar panels.
Apart from residents of group housing societies and RWAs, City Spidey also spoke to United Residents Joint Action (URJA) for its views on this development. “The policy is beneficial to group housing societies but multiple ownership on the rooftop of a building may be an obstacle," said Ashutosh Dikshit, general secretary of URJA. "Let's hope the government is serious about implementing this policy. The government needs to spread awareness about the project. It is a great initiative and the need of the hour, but people will only be attracted to the scheme if it is made easy and hassle-free."
