Central Govt’s roof-top solar power policy has not yet picked steam in Delhi
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Central Govt’s roof-top solar power policy has not yet picked steam in Delhi

Residents of high-rise apartments have a slew of doubts pertaining to the cost and efficacy of solar panels.  

 

Central Govt’s roof-top solar power policy has not yet picked steam in Delhi

These days Co-operative Group Housing Societies (CGHS) across Delhi are mulling about the Central Government’s roof-top solar policy. Most are unsure about adopting the policy. Interestingly, even the few societies that have decided to adopt the policy do not have the unanimous consent of all flat owners.

A case in point is OCS Apartment, a co-operative group housing society in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Extension. K K Verma, president of OCS Apartment said, “After the policy was announced in 2015, we contacted the Delhi Government and some private power vendors for detailed information. A proposal was put up for discussion in our General Body Meeting. However, several flat owners had opposed on the basis of their individual views. The project will cost around Rs 50 lakhs. All flat owners shall have to share this cost in equal measures.”

According to power department officials, around 20 housing societies from Dwarka have already applied for solar power. Officials also told City Spidey that East Delhi’s housing societies have not shown any interest. Infact not a single society from East Delhi has applied for solar power till date.

When City Spidey investigated this statement a slightly different truth emerged. Many societies from Mayur Vihar Phase 1 Extension have shown interest but they have not taken a decision as they lack proper information about the project. Purusottam Bhatt, president of United India Apartment said, “We have discussed about the project and soon we shall hold a meeting with power department officials to gather more information.”  

The typical queries range from - How much power can solar panels generate? Can buildings use power generated through solar panels during the night hours? Will the solar power project help in reducing their monthly expenses on electricity?

Many housing societies have blatantly refused to install solar panels on their roof tops. East End Apartment, one of the largest housing societies in Delhi is one such society. General Secretary of East End Apartment, J P Verma told City Spidey, “We have received a notice on the solar power project but we have not yet discussed it.”      

Pankaj Dhingra, a resident of Abhiyan Apartment in Dwarka said, “I don’t know if my society has received any such notice. All I know is that there has been no discussion on solar power. Incidentally, in Dwarka, many commercial buildings have installed solar panels. These building owners claim that consequently they are getting a 15 per cent rebate on their electricity bills. Solar power panel installation is essentially a onetime investment that curtails electricity bills.”

Dhingra also said that there is a lack of communication between the department handling this project and the societies, which probably is slowing adoption. “People think a lot before adopting any government policy and the main reason for this is diminishing trust on government agencies,” he added.   â€‹

City Spidey spoke to A K Jha, an executive officer associated with the power department of the state government who is also in charge of the solar power project. Jha said, “The solar power project is basically a system that operates without batteries. Power generated through the solar panels will automatically transfer to the connected grid of power supply in a building. Let us assume that a society generates 6 units of power in the day and does not use it. If it consumes 10 units of electricity directly from the grid at night, the residents shall be charged for four units only.”

On the issue of lack of information, Jha told City Spidey that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) shall launch a month long awareness campaign in October. “MNRE along with the power department of the Delhi government and selected power vendors will launch this campaign. A panel of experts who work on solar power projects shall provide all details about the project and address all queries that people have,” Jha informed.