Delhi govt notifies solar policy, to spend `570cr

UNDER THE policy, the Delhi government will provide monetary incentives to consumers installing rooftop solar panels for every unit of electricity generated

The Delhi government on Saturday notified the Delhi Solar Policy 2023.

Under the policy, consumers who do not get a subsidy for using more than 400 units per month can now install rooftop solar panels and get zero bills while the commercial and industrial consumers’ electricity bills will be halved.

Under the policy, the Delhi government will provide monetary incentives to consumers installing rooftop solar panels for every unit of electricity generated.

The policy was announced by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 29 this year. The government had sent the file to lieutenant-governor V.K. Saxena for his approval.

“After waiting for about a month, Mr Saxena has accorded his approval and now this policy has been implemented,” said the Delhi government.

Terming it a remarkable initiative, city power minister Atishi said the implementation of the policy will not only benefit Delhiites but will also contribute to reducing pollution.

“Our aim is to have 50 per cent of Delhi’s total electricity usage sourced from solar energy by 2027. The Delhi government will also make provision for power generation assessment. For this, the government will collaborate with certain institutions.

“These institutions will assess the capacity of power generation across Delhi using satellite technology. This will relieve consumers from the burden of estimating the potential power generation capacity on their rooftops,” Ms Atishi said.

Currently, domestic consumers receive zero bills up to 200 units of monthly consumption while 50 per cent subsidy is given for 201-400 units.

Under the policy, even those consuming more than 400 units of electricity will have their bill reduced to zero if they install solar panels.

The Delhi government will spend `570 crore towards the implementation of the policy. Expenses incurred for installing solar panels under the new policy will be recovered within four years, according to the policy.

The government will provide five financial incentives to all residential consumers.

Currently, there is a capacity of 1,500 megawatts of solar power in Delhi, which will be increased threefold to 4,500 megawatts in the next three years.