Tuesday, September 10, 2013: With the increased participation from the Indian states in the solar movement, the momentum is building at a high pace. Joining the bandwagon is Gujarat, which is all set to formulate a new solar rooftop policy. With the aim to encourage encourage 40 MW of rooftop systems to be split between residential and non residential systems, the state is all set to go the solar way.
According to a TOI report, sources in the state energy and petrochemicals department, reveal that the said policy is being worked out and will be in place by the the end of March 2015. With this policy, the state will target 40 MW of rooftop installations, including 20 MW of residential rooftop installations and 20 MW of industrial, commercial, institutional and agricultural systems.
The article suggested that both the installations would qualify for a 30 per cent central subsidy. In this, the residential systems will be eligible for a further discount of 40 per cent with a ceiling of Rs32,000 per kilowatt (US$490/kW) for systems of up to 2 kW. Residential purchasers are also entitled to get a VAT exemption on equipment costs, stated the report.
On the other hand, the non-residential systems would be limited to a maximum of 6 per cent of the installer’s energy bill for the previous year and a maximum 100 kW capacity. So if a non-residential system generates any surplus energy, it will not be eligible for FIT payments.
