Policy eclipses rooftop solar

India’s Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Bhagwanth Khuba launched the “Ghar Ke Upar Solar Is Super” (Home rooftop solar) scheme. It’s a nationwide awareness campaign for rooftop solar in the government’s renewable ambitions.

The rooftop solar idea was mooted a several years back, the idea was to put distributed solar in government offices with the hope that will replicate tenfold, which never happened. This was due to a shortage of adequate space on roofs to install the panels. A subsidy was initially available for industry so developers took on the risk of claiming subsidies but had a tough time getting it from government agencies on project completion. The states allowed net metering if consumers bore the operating expenses for onsite solar installations and the developer financed the project. How­ever, states such as Gujarat or Karnataka realized that what started as small 100 kilowatt systems at customer premises soon turned ten times bigger, and eight out of 10 discom customers turned to solar. That prompted states to disallow net metering. With rooftop replacing only eight to 20 per cent of energy needs, because of physical limitations, consumers were reluctant to bear capital costs, and disturb their existing relationship with discoms.

The renewables ministry provides 40 per cent of subsidy for households to install solar, while a 30 per cent subsidy is given by Delhi to farmers to install photovoltaics (PVs) under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Sur­aksha even Utthan Maha­bhi­yan (PM-KUSUM) scheme.

Ano­ther 30 per cent subsidy is pro­vided by states such as Karnataka. But there have been few takers because debt-laden small farmers are unable to afford solar, while in states like Punjab the policy of giving free power reduces any incentive for a farmer to install solar.

Rooftop solar is a low-hanging fruit. All that’s required is a clear and uniform policy across India, net metering for 15 years and a single window clearance for approvals.