In what could be a major boost in using renewable energy in Delhi, the cabinet has approved the solar power policy. The policy outlines regulations and mandates tax breaks and incentives for the generation of rooftop solar power in the city. The government plans to offer a generation-based incentive of Rs 2 per unit to domestic producers, while building owners will be permitted an additional construction height of two metres if a solar panel is installed on the rooftop.
The idea of the policy is to install 1,000 MW of solar power capacity in Delhi by 2020 and double that in the next five years.
Delhi’s power minister Satyendar Jain said that solar power was the most viable form of green energy for the capital. “It has the potential to lower the state’s expenditure on energy and reduce its reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels. It will also reduce the burden on the existing transmission and distribution system, leading to reduced expenditure being incurred on its maintenance.”
Under the National Solar Mission India is suppose to deploy 1.75 GW of renewable energy by 2022, and this initiative of Delhi government will go a long way in achieving this target in time.
By Atanu Kumar Das
