Delhi's Plan To Shine With Solar Rooftop Proves To Be A Leap In The Dark

The Delhi government had huge plans when it first came out with its solar policy to generate 1,000 megawatt (mw) power by 2020. However, if numbers are to be believed the plans do not seem to have taken off the ground yet. After the Delhi government, in September 2015, first unveiled its plans to the alternate power generation in the capital and advocated performance-based incentives for households that install solar panels on their rooftops, not many users seem to have been lured by it.

According to data revealed by the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre (EEREM), only 31 residents had availed of the generation-based incentives (GBI) from September 2016 to March 2017. However, this number drastically improved after March 2017 with 300 residents registering further.

The government, according to a report by Hindustan Times, is lagging in meeting its target of 84 mw of solar energy generation using solar rooftop panels by March 2018.

The policy that came into effect last year aims to “reduce Delhi’s reliance on conventional energy while increasing its energy security and lowering average energy prices in the long term."

Incentives, but of no use

The residents can get a GBI of Rs 2 per unit (kilowatt per hour - kWh) of gross solar energy generated for three years on a first-come-first-serve basis from the time the policy came into effect. The budget for GBIs for the first year was Rs 10 crore, Rs 20 crore for 2017-18 and Rs 30 crore for 2018-19. However, the response to the policy has been so low that only a fraction of this budget has been utilised so far. For instance, the disbursement has been a few lakhs in the first year, in 2017-18, it stood at about Rs 1 crore.

Households can avail of the GBI for a minimum generation of 1,100 solar energy units (kWh) per year per kWp. For solar rooftop, this facility will not apply to plants that generate less than 1,100 units (kWh) per kWp a year.

It’s time to address the challenges

While the government’s plans may be big, the challenges ahead to make these plans a reality seem even bigger. Some of the key challenges that need the government’s, authorities and discoms’ attention are:

The reach: The lack of reach has been one of the biggest cause of a lukewarm reaction from the users. Many households are unaware of the incentives they can get from the installation of a rooftop solar plant. This makes them hesitant in investing in a plant.

High on investment: Many households still find installing a rooftop solar plant an expensive deal. While not many are aware of the incentive-based model the Delhi government has announced, some are still hesitant to install for the money they will have to invest. However, the government had announced a 30 per cent subsidy through authorised dealers, reports suggest that the dealers sell these panels at a higher cost.

Lack of information: Apart from those who are unaware about the incentives they could get under Delhi’s solar policy and for those who do not want to invest in a rooftop solar plant, many simply do not know the perks of having a plant. The need is to inform the residents of the simple perks of going solar.

On the other hand, users who have already installed the plant and are eligible for incentives are unaware of how and when they will be incentivised.