Residents oppose rooftop solar panels in Delhi
3 April 2018 5:46 PM GMT
NEW DELHI: Days after the Green Budget of Delhi where the government decided to focus on solar panel installation in residential areas, the RWAs and other bodies of residential societies have objected to the project in many parts of the city. To meet the increasing power demand, rooftop solar panels will soon be made compulsory in residential areas in the national capital, decided the government earlier.
The government also opened the registration process for installation of rooftop solar power panels in the city, as it aims to tap one GigaWatt of green energy by 2020. A senior official said: "The registration process has been opened for city residents in the residential, institutional and social sector categories under the Delhi government's solar policy of 2016 and Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission's (Net Metering for Renewable Energy) Regulations, 2014. In its Budget for 2018-19, the Delhi government has proposed to encourage renewable energy initiatives to reduce fossil fuel-based power generation.
The budgetary allocation for the energy sector at Rs 2,190 crore in 2018-19 is four per cent of the total budget expenditure of Rs 53,000 crore. The total capacity of renewable energy in Delhi until February 2018 was 133.13 MW, which included 81.13 MW of solar power and 52 MW of electricity generated from waste-to-energy plants. In addition, 74 MW of solar power will be generated. The government has already committed to purchase 1,000 MW of green power –solar and wind –in the coming year.
"There is only a handful that has opted for rooftop solar energy in the cities despite high environmental awareness and access to technology and support," said an official. Explaining the problem, he said, "Suppose I want to install a solar rooftop of 10 KW (kilowatt) in my house. It can easily cost me up to Rs 1 million. Why should I be willing to spend so much? How will I get returns on my investment? It can take me 5 - 7 years." He also said that in residential buildings, the ownership of the roof is also a knotty issue. It is often not clear if the terrace rights belong to the builder, the homeowner or the tenant. Many find dealing with residents welfare associations challenging because, unlike private companies, many RWAs do not maintain balance sheets and, therefore, do not qualify as subsidised consumers. The Delhi Solar Policy, which aims at mass adoption of solar power, was notified on September 27, 2016. The policy seeks to provide a generation-based incentive for three years.
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