Tapping sunshine on rooftops in Assam

Approval of a Rs. 3648 crore loan by the Asian Development Bank to Assam for the construc- tion of a 500 megawatt (MW) solar power plant is a big push for renewable energy growth in the state. Rooftop solar (RTS) installations gaining momentum in the state is also good news for the clean energy transition as it strives to gain self-reliance to meet its rising energy demand. The state has set a target of generating 3000 MW of solar power by 2030, and timely installation and commissioning of the proposed solar power plant in Karbi Anglong will be crucial to meeting this target. Till September 30, the state’s installed capacity of solar power was 180 MW, which includes 45 MW from RTS. The subsidy provided by the state government in addition to the subsidy provided by the central government has led to a significant reduction in installation costs for house owners. Easing of installation procedure through exemption of the requirement of a technical feasibility report for RTS units up to 10 MW is believed to be a key factor driving up installation. The rising electricity bill is also believed to be a key factor behind more than a lakh people applying for RTS installation under the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana in the state. Incentives to power distribution companies (DISCOM) under the flagship scheme, notified by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, are expected to boost RTS installation in the state. Under the scheme, DISCOMs are designated as state implementation agencies responsible for facilitating various measures, including net meter availability, timely inspection, and commissioning of installations. The total financial outlay for the ‘Incentives to DISCOMs’ component is Rs 4,950 crore. According to the notified scheme guidelines, DISCOMs will receive incentives based on their achievement in the installation of additional grid-connected rooftop solar capacity beyond a baseline level. It also has provision of an indicative rewards system to recognise and motivate the field staff of DISCOMs. Specifically, the incentives are structured to reward DISCOMs with 5% of the applicable benchmark cost for achieving an additional capacity of 10% to 15% over the installed base capacity and 10% for capacities beyond 15%. Installed base capacity is the cumulative RTS capacity installed within the jurisdiction of DISCOM at the end of 31st March of the year preceding the year for which the calculation is being done. This includes total RTS capacity installed under residential, institutional, social, government, public sector units, statutory/autonomous bodies, and private commercial and industrial sectors. This progressive incentive mechanism aims to drive higher participation from DISCOMs and ensure robust growth in rooftop solar capacity, the guidelines add. The central government approved the flagship scheme in February to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity. The DISCOMs are mandated to put in place several facilitative measures for promotion of rooftop solar in their respective areas, such as availability of net meters, timely inspection and commissioning of installations, vendor registration and management, interdepartmental convergence for solarising government buildings, etc. Incentives to DISCOMs are based on achievement in the installation of additional grid connected rooftop solar capacity in all sectors over and above the base level, with a cap of the first additional 18,000 MW of rooftop solar capacity in the country. Many people are clueless about net metering systems and how the calculation is done to reflect the solar power generated by an RTS unit connected to the DISCOM electricity grid. The net meter installed in an RTS records both electricity drawn by the consumer from the grid and solar electricity fed into the grid. Explaining the calculations of the tariff using the net meter by DISCOMs to applicants of the PM-Surya Ghar scheme in layperson’s language is of paramount importance to fast-track RTS installation. The scheme for providing incentives to DICSOMs makes it mandatory for them to pass on the incentives to their staff. Besides, it is mandatory for DISCOM to allocate at least 50% of the incentives (up to Rs 1 crore of allocation per division) for dedicated utilisation at the divisional and subdivisional level. This provision shall be utilised by the Division and Sub-divisional units for administrative expenses, outsourcing of services for facilitating rooftop solar related activities, payment for contractual/outsourced/other positions for manpower utilised primarily for rooftop solar related activities, capacity building activities, organisation of consumer-vendor-bankers melas, awareness generation, grievance redressal, establishment of meter testing benches and associated manpower, and improving the consumer experience for rooftop solar installation and related activities. The guidelines are elaborate, and if followed in toto, it can help turn the initiatives of RTS installation in the state into a powerful campaign for the voluntary participation of the citizens in efforts by the government to increase solar power generation. The greatest benefit of more people installing rooftop solar will be that it will help climate change mitigation through clean energy use.