Delhi, India: Anand Kumar, secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy, announced that the Union government is developing a “rent a roof” program to bolster its lofty goal of producing 40 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from solar rooftop projects by 2022. Additionally, over the next two years, the government intends to solicit bids for wind power contracts totaling 24.5 GW.
“We are planning a’rent a rooftop’ policy,” Kumar stated in his first interview after taking full responsibility of the ministry.
Large ground-mounted, grid-connected solar parks in India have attracted investors, but the solar rooftop sector has yet to take off. Kumar elaborated, saying, “We are now trying to work out a new programme called ‘rent a roof.’ The idea is that a developer might rent out rooftops to individual households, who could then lease them and pump their excess energy back into the grid.
Solar power will account for 100 GW of India’s lofty goal of 175 GW of renewable energy generation by 2022. Solar rooftop projects are expected to provide 40GW, while ground-mounted, grid-connected projects aim for 60GW. There will be a 60GW contribution from wind power installations.
The net-metering market in India is just starting out, thus this policy is happening at the same time. The net-metering technology allows consumers to only be charged for the power they actually use, after subtracting the power that is sent back to the grid from their solar panels on their roof.
With an average solar radiation range of 4-7 kilowatt-hours per square meter and 300 sunny days a year, the country presents a significant opportunity with its 750GW potential.
‘Rent a roof’ means that anyone can borrow a roof. At this time, net metering is taking place, although each family is free to pursue it independently. It will then be up to the developer to handle all duties, including upkeep. “We are actively developing the policy,” Kumar stated.
Rooftop solar must gain traction if India is to achieve its solar power goals. Concerns have been raised, meanwhile, because consultancy firm Bridge To India predicts that India would fail to meet even half of its solar rooftop targets by December 2021.
The 40 GW goal of grid-connected rooftop solar by 2022 is deemed “unrealistic” by a legislative group, according to Mint’s story from 1 August.
“The reason we’re doing it is same to yours. Rooftops are also rather tiny. This is taking place in other settings, such as schools, but not in people’s homes, according to Kumar.
The change was well-received by the sector. We are completely in favor of the government’s “rent a roof” program. Because of this, the solar energy business will be able to reach more people at lower income levels, increasing the likelihood that every house will be able to become energy independent. A solar advice firm’s director, Anmol Singh Jaggi, stressed the importance of the government providing precise framework definitions because of the many parties involved.
The latest energy strategy draft from India’s federal policy think tank, NITI Aayog, predicts a capacity increase from 597 to 710 GW by 2040, suggesting a significant uptick in the country’s involvement in renewable energy.
A more unified approach to speeding up the bidding process for wind power contracts is also being worked out by the federal government. A total of 33 GW of wind power is now operational in India. In October, the state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India held an auction for 2GW of wind power contracts, and the rates dropped to a record low of Rs2.64 per unit.
Roughly 500 megawatts (MW) will be up for grabs as states place their bids. Plus, by March, we’ll have put out bids for about 4,500MW. The following year, there will be bids for 10 GW, and the year after that, another 10 GW. “Our goal is to complete our bidding by March 2020 so that we can achieve it by March 2022,” Kumar stated.
This is in line with what Mint reported on November 10th, which stated that India intends to hold the world’s largest solar tender simultaneously, inviting bids for the establishment of 20GW of solar generating capacity.
We intend to source any further capacity beyond this 60GW (of wind power) from offshore. We will make every effort to exceed 60GW. Our local manufacturing sector will also receive a boost from this. A stronger industrial foundation is something we aim to achieve,” Kumar stated.