Delhi govt notifies solar policy, will provide 400 units per month subsidy

The Arvind Kejriwal government has notified Delhi Solar Policy, 2023, that will help the consumers with monthly use of over 400 units to get zero bills through rooftop solar plants, a statement on Saturday said.

Under the policy, the consumers who do not get subsidy for using more than 400 units per month can now install rooftop solar panels and get zero bills.

The power bills of commercial users will be halved if they go for rooftop plants, said the statement of Delhi government.

Currently, domestic consumers receive zero bills up to 200 units monthly consumption while monthly consumption 50 percent subsidy is given for 201-400 units.

The Delhi Solar Policy, 2023, was announced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 29.

The Delhi government will spend Rs 570 crores towards the implementation of the policy, it said. It provides for generation-based incentives' to solar panel installers, allowing for additional earnings of up to Rs 900 per month. Expenses incurred for installing solar panels under the new policy will be recovered within four years, according to the policy.

This policy will not only reduce electricity bills for Delhiites but also help in reducing pollution, Power Minister Atishi said.

She said the Kejriwal government aims to have 50 per cent of Delhi's total electricity usage from solar energy by 2027.

The Delhi government will deposit Rs 3 per unit of electricity generated into the bank account of the consumer. For 3 to 10 kilowatts, money will be deposited at the rate of Rs 2 per unit. The government will continue to provide this generation-based incentive for five years.

The amount under GBI will be adjusted against the monthly electricity bill of the consumer. Any excess amount will be deposited into the consumer's bank account by the discom concerned every month. Earlier, GBI amount was transferred only twice a year.

A solar portal is being created to make all the information about the Delhi Solar Policy available in one place. All the relevant information related to the policy will be provided.

The policy also stipulates installation of rooftop solar plants on all government buildings with rooftop surface area of 500 square meters.

For the first time, the Delhi government will provide a capital subsidy to residential consumers of Rs 2,000 per kW of installation up to a maximum of Rs 10,000 per consumer. This will be over and above the capital subsidy of the Central government.

Under 'Net Metering', the solar power generated gets offset with the electricity consumed from the grid. So, if a household consumed 400 units and generated 100 units of solar power, it will be billed only for 300 units. This allows the consumers to benefit from reduced electricity bills, the statement said.

After net metering, which happens every month, the excess solar units left will be rolled-over into subsequent billing cycles for up to 12 months (until close of every financial year), it said.

Additional income: at the end of the year, in case the solar power generated is more than the consumer's annual electricity demand, the consumer will earn money for the same from the discoms, it said.

Currently, around 70 per cent of Delhi's residential consumers get ZERO electricity bill - less than 200 units consumption per month. By installing a rooftop plant under the new policy, partially-subsidized and unsubsidized consumers too can get zero bill every month from the first month itself, it added.