Delhi government holds national consultation to frame new solar policy

Government aims to increase the contribution of solar power to more than 50% of Delhi’s energy basket by 2030

New Delhi: The Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC Delhi), in collaboration with RMI India on Wednesday, co-hosted the ‘National Consultation to frame Delhi’s new solar policy.

The consultation aimed to align relevant stakeholders in the solar energy ecosystem on a shared vision for Delhi’s solar targets and to establish a clear set of actionable next steps to make Delhi the national and global leader in rooftop solar adoption.

In his keynote address, Delhi Power Minister  Satyendar Jain said, “The policy consultations organised regularly by Delhi Government have enabled us to gather a lot of valuable feedback from the stakeholders for formulating a new, effective, exemplary, and robust solar policy of Delhi.

“Through rooftop solar installation, Delhi Government will explore innovative mechanisms to effectively manage peak load, which is also complementary to the growth of EVs in the city” he said.

Recently the Delhi Government had presented a unique “Rozgar Budget” wherein a new solar policy has been envisaged with the objective of increasing the installed capacity of rooftop solar plants so that it can fulfill 10 Percent of Delhi’s annual energy demand.

The plan will also contribute to the creation of 40,000 new green jobs in this sector.

Talking about future plans and exuded confidence to make Delhi a solar capital of the country, Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairperson, DDC Delhi said,  “Delhi has emerged as an environmental leader by becoming the only state to shut down all its thermal power stations, transitioning its entire industry to clean fuels (PNG), becoming the undisputed national leader for EV adoption etc.

“Delhi’s last Solar Policy of 2016 has laid the foundation for rooftop solar adoptions in the city with 83% of total rooftop solar capacity (230 MW) installed since 2016” he said

Shah said,  the new solar policy will make Delhi the solar capital of India and hopefully, a global case study for how cities can lead the rooftop solar movement. It will also create thousands of new green jobs as envisioned under Delhi’s Rozgar Budget.”

Satya Gopal, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Department, Delhi Government said, “The total solar power contribution (within and outside state) in Delhi’s total energy mix, which was less than 0.3% (79 MW) in 2016 has increased substantially to 7% (1189 MW) in 2022 and it is likely to increase to 11% (2540 MW) in the next two years.

He said the aim is to install solar panels on the rooftops and increase the contribution of solar power to more than 50% of Delhi’s energy basket by 2030.
Akshima Ghate, Managing Director, RMI India said, “Promoting rooftop solar is the first step in transforming consumers into producers of electricity and making them an active part of the energy economy.

“For the governments, it means the creation of local green jobs, increased security and reliability of power and actionable climate commitments,” she said.

During the day-long consultation, the attendees were divided into three stakeholder groups: residential, commercial & industrial and institutional stakeholders. The stakeholders outlined necessary implementation actions and milestones for solarising Delhi.