Lack of Clarity on Policies is the major Hindrance in the promotion of Rooftop Solar in India

Though India is making news in achieving various solar milestones, the country has been lagging behind in meeting its solar rooftop target. The Rooftop solar policy has failed to gather the required flare in the country, in spite of the government taking various steps to promote rooftop solar in India. The government made it mandatory for government buildings and establishments to install rooftop solar plants, after witnessing a cold response from private establishments.

It was estimated that about 70% of buildings are yet to be constructed in India till 2030. If these buildings would install rooftop solar plants, India could be nearer to its installation target. India has a target to install 40,000 MW of rooftop solar by 2022, while the country had just 1060 MW installed by March 2018. Different government initiatives like capital subsidies, launching the Surya Mitra program, solar cities, various online portals, and impaneling agencies have been enacted for the promotion of solar rooftop installations. Huge financial aid and 30% capital subsidy for solar rooftop systems on homes, educational institutions, hospitals, etc. were also declared. But rooftop solar always received a stepchild like treatment in India, with ground mounted plants becoming more popular. One of the main drawbacks of ground-mounted solar plants is the lack of expensive real estate in India. It is therefore imperative for India to shift towards the “rooftop solar” model.

Also, read Which states are the Most Friendly towards Rooftop Solar in India

The Indian government in another chance to boost rooftop solar in India had announced covering all government buildings across the country by rooftop solar. However, developers have failed to achieve even that within the stipulated time period (till June 2018), citing the main reason as lack of proper government support. Developers have said that there is lack of interest in the scheme by concerned ministries, delays in securing internal departmental approvals and other state-specific problems. They have also cited that considerable amount of time and man-hours were lost in identifying the suitable buildings and even after identification few were not suitable for installation. Now developers are requesting to extend the timeline till December 2018.

One of the main reasons rooftop solar has lagged to gain the desired momentum is the difference in the passing of regulations and its proper implementation. Lack of clarity on the policies has made proper enactment within stipulated timelines almost impossible. It is high time that the government identifies this and moves in the right direction.