The New Year starts with a welcome note for Indian solar market as the Haryana government passed a new order that mandates private bungalows, group housing societies, builder apartments, malls, offices, commercial complexes, schools, and hospitals install solar panels to meet their energy demands else face huge penalties.
The order, as reported by The Times of India, from the department of renewable energy, is in line with the state’s solar power policy framed in September 2014.
The mandate is applicable for all residential buildings on a size of 500 square yards and above falling within the limits of municipal corporations, municipal councils, HUDA and HSIIDC. Educational institutions, government buildings, hospitals, commercial establishments like malls and licensed builder colonies will have to conform to the policy, an official was quoted in the report.
The government will offer 30 percent subsidy for the installation. However, it would be available to the first few applicants, and depends on the availability of funds, the news report said.
The minimum solar power capacity to be installed is 1 kilo Watt or 5 percent of a building’s connected load, whichever is higher. This would be sufficient to meet the needs of an average household.
Failure to install the solar panels by September would attract penalties between Rs 10,000 and Rs 10 lakh, officials said. The project will be implemented by additional deputy commissioners (ADC) of all districts in Haryana.
Sandeep Yadav, project officer of the state’s department of renewable energy, who was quoted in the report, said the government is working out plans to connect rooftop panels with the power grid through net-metering system that allows consumers to sell surplus power to the grid and get the amount deducted from his or her power bill. The modalities for net-metering system should be finalized in two weeks.
While the cost of installation is huge, the benefits will be multifold for it will help the power-starving state meet the rising energy demands while also reducing carbon emission. With net metering, consumers can also earn recurring returns from their investment.
Rajani Baburajan
editor@greentechlead.com