Delhi's rooftop solar power policy a non-starter
It seemed to be the panacea for the
capital's power woes, but few months down the line the Delhi government's
ambitious plan to generate electricity by installing solar panels on rooftops of
houses has not taken off. The reason? "It's not cost effective", an official
said.
"If you talk about the solar power scenario in the country, we
have a long way to go. Even the European countries have not been able to
implement it. It was just a proposal which is not viable," a Delhi government
official told reporters.
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit had announced in
May that her government would soon introduce a scheme for setting up solar power
units on the rooftops of households.
According to the policy, residents
could earn money by selling electricity to power distribution companies
(discoms). The discoms could deduct from the electricity bill the amount the
house owner earned from the solar unit.
However, the officials said the
per unit cost of generating power from a rooftop plant was Rs.17.50, thus making
it unviable for the discoms.
"The cost of generating electricity is too
high. This is not economically viable and cost effective, though it's an
environment friendly alternative source of energy," the official said.
Under the policy, by signing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the
company supplying power in their areas, residents could get solar power plants
installed on their rooftops. The cost of setting up such a plant over an area of
200 square metres was estimated at Rs.8-9 lakh.
House owners could either
lease out their roofs to a developer, who would set up the unit or set it up
themselves.
"The government is yet to chalk out plans to implement the
policy. It has to be done in collaboration with the ministry of new and
renewable energy. It may be completed by 2017," another official added.
-Umesh Shanmugam
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