Nod to draft policy on solar energy use

New Delhi, December 29

The Delhi Government on Thursday gave a green signal to Delhi’s draft solar policy.

The draft ‘Delhi Solar Policy 2022’ aims a massive jump in solar power contribution –- from 9 per cent in 2022 to 25 per cent by 2025 – in Delhi’s annual electricity demand.

Community solar

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• For the first time in the country, ‘Community Solar’ feature will be set up.
• It will enable consumers who do not have a suitable roof for installing a solar system to be owners of a part of a larger solar energy system set by a developer within an available land parcel in Delhi.

Toward this goal, the policy outlines a target of 6,000 MW of total installed solar capacity by 2025 which will make Delhi a leader in solar energy consumption. The operative period of the policy will be three years.

The policy will now be put in public domain for 30 days for comments from stakeholders. Subsequently, it will be tabled in the Cabinet for final approval.

Deputy Chief Minister and Power Minister Manish Sisodia said, “The new solar policy will provide a host of benefits through Generation- Based Incentives (GBI) and capital subsidy for residential and commercial consumers in Delhi. With this policy, our aim is to make Delhi a leader in solar energy consumption in not only India but also the world.”

He added that the policy has been prepared by Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDDC) after extensive consultations with the stakeholders: industry, consumers, government entities, financing institutions and clean energy think-tanks.

Along with increasing solar energy consumption, the policy also aims to generate over 12,000 green jobs in Delhi.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that the deployment of solar plants on all existing state government properties with a rooftop area of 500 sq.m. or above is now mandatory. It would be carried out in a phased manner and would be completed within the operative period of this policy. He said, “The policy aims to create a unified single-window state portal managed by the Delhi Solar Cell that will provide information on the benefits of solar PV systems, process-related guidelines and timeline.”

“Delhi’s new solar policy will prove to be a landmark in Delhi’s efforts to fight air pollution and climate change. DDCD is proud to have led the effort of drafting a progressive solar policy for Delhi after extensive stakeholder consultations with the industry and consumers,” said Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of DDCD.

‘Peer-to-Peer Trading’ of solar energy will also be put in place. It will enable owners of solar energy systems to sell their excess generated electricity in real-time via a peer-to-peer energy trading platform.