State Bureau, New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday made a major announcement granting relief to over 2.3 lakh electricity consumers in the capital by providing them free rooftop solar panels.
The Delhi Cabinet took the decision by approving the revised Delhi Solar Policy. As part of the announcement, consumers who spend 400 units per month would get free rooftop solar. According to the Chief Minister, the PM Surya Ghar Yojana (PMSG) was not gaining the desired momentum in Delhi. After investigating the reasons, practical changes have been made to the policy.
Now, solar plants up to 3 kilowatts capacity will be installed completely free of charge in the homes of consumers in Delhi who consume up to 400 units of electricity per month.
Speaking at a press conference, CM Gupta said, "Our target is not only to reduce people''s electricity bills but also to support the installation cost of solar panels. The government will provide free rooftop solar panels to all households with monthly electricity consumption of 400 units or above. The facility will benefit people who could not install rooftop solar panels earlier due to high upfront cost."
She added that the government has set a target of installing solar panels in 2.30 lakh houses under the Green Delhi project. "The government has set a target to install solar panels in 2.30 lakh households across Delhi by March 2027. This is a big announcement for our government's 'Green Delhi' initiative," she said.
Key points of the policy amendment
Early Incentive: The incentive amount available for five years on installing solar panels will now be paid in advance (pre-payment) at the time of installation itself.
Free maintenance for five years: The vendor who installs the solar panels will maintain them for the next five years free of charge.
Fee waiver: No application fee will be charged from domestic consumers up to 10 kW.
Consumers will continue to receive existing electricity subsidies. Furthermore, consumers will be able to increase their income by selling surplus electricity generated from solar panels through net metering.