( read : Shri R K Singh liberated Roof Top
Solar Power )
Context :
Rooftop solar
programme / 22 Jan 2022
Extract :
Subject –
Environment
Context – Rooftop solar programme norms eased
Concept :
·
India has significant rooftop solar
potential at 1.7 petawatt hour per year.
Changes introduced :
·
MNRE said that now it is not necessary
for a household to get the RTS installed by any of the listed vendors of a
State Discom. The households
can also install the equipment on their own and inform the Discom along with a
photograph of the system.
o
The Discom will then have to ensure
that net metering is provided within 15 days.
o
The government said that individual
households can now opt for a vendor of their choice.
·
The subsidy amount for
purchasing the equipment will be credited directly into their bank
accounts, within 30 days of installation.
About the scheme :
·
Implemented by the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy.
·
Presently under implementation is the
Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Scheme (Phase II), it aims to achieve a cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW
from Rooftop Solar Projects by
the year 2022.
·
This scheme is being implemented in the
state by distribution companies (DISCOMs).
The major objective of the programme includes :
·
To promote the grid-connected SPV
rooftop and small SPV power generating plants among the residential, community,
institutional, industrial and commercial establishments.
·
To mitigate the dependence on fossil
fuel based electricity generation and encourage environment-friendly Solar
electricity generation.
·
To create an enabling environment for
investment in the solar energy sector by the private sector, state government
and the individuals.
·
To create an enabling environment for
the supply of solar power from rooftop and small plants to the grid.
MY
TAKE :
Dear Shri R K
Sighji
( Minister for New and Renewable Energy ),
While congratulating for this “ minor liberalization “
of current ROOF TOP SOLAR REGIME , please ask if this is enough, considering :
# Our installed capacity of Roof Top Solar was a
meagre is 6.0 GW By Oct 2021
# Our target is
to achieve 40 GW
by the current year ( 2022 )
Obviously an impossible task, with just 11 months left to install 34 GW
( Source
: Why
India's rooftop solar installation initiative is yet to see the light of
success )
Could
we achieve this target in next 22 months ?
Yes
By
UNLEASHING the power of the sun through implementation of suggestion in my
following e-mail :
Sun :
Our Soul ( A New SOS ) …………………………………. 02 Jan 2017
Extract :
Why install small solar power plants
on roof tops ?
Simple :
With roof-top based solar plants , we
don't need to distribute power over long distances , using nation-wide
distribution network. We produce / store / consume power in same place
So no transmission costs / losses /
thefts !
There are no " intermediaries
" between producers and consumers ( eg: DISCOMS )
No need of elaborate " metering
/ billing / accounting "
No need for PPA ( Power Purchase Agreements ) between producers and DISCOMs
A roof top solar installation can be
done in a matter of hours, providing employment to lakhs of Installation
Technicians, employed by thousands of MSME engaged in such work
Many more lakhs will find jobs in
companies engaged in manufacture of allied electrical / electronic /
storage batteries etc
So enormous " Job Generation "
as a by-product
These local MSME manufacturers /
installers , will aggressively compete and provide quick / efficient ,
after-sales service
Of course , roof top solar power's Capital Cost per kwh is higher than same for large land based installations . Over the next couple of years, this will even out
But as I mentioned in my earlier blog
:
* COST OF FUEL ( Sun ) is ZERO
* COST OF MAINTENANCE , too ,
is nearly NIL
Practically , the only cost of a roof
top based solar plant is " INTEREST
ON CAPITAL "
Now NDA government has announced a
Capital Subsidy of 30 % on
" Competitively Discovered Price " for roof top installations and
made an allocation of ( approx ) , Rs 5200 crores ( $ 750 million ), for
putting up 4200 MW
But , on the balance 70 % of Capital Cost , users will
need to borrow money from banks at 10
% - 15 % interest and go through a
lengthy approval process and hypothecate the assets
And ensure timely repayment of EMI in
order, not to get their plants " repossessed " !
But imagine following scenario :
* Government declares units belonging to " Solar Power ( Panel Mfr / Power
Production &
* Units will need to
register as such with Department of Company Affairs ( DIPP )
* Units will be exempt from paying Corporate Income Tax for 10 years , on
whatever
( only
those starting operations latest by 31 March 2018 )
* No questions will be asked as to the " source " of funds invested in the shares
of such
March 2018 - to channelize BLACK MONEY into creation of PRODUCTIVE /
NON-POLUTING assets )
* Units cannot engage in any other Industrial / Commercial / Financial activities
* Units cannot declare
any dividends to share-holders for 10 years
These are just broad outlines and
details need to be worked out
If there is political courage to pull
off such an initiative , government will NOT need to allocate ANY AMOUNT !
NO NEED TO SUBSIDIZE THESE UNITS OR THE
USERS , WITH THE TAX PAYERS' MONEY !
Instead of that $ 750 million
allocation ( from tax payers' money ) , Black Money holders will readily pump
in $ 750 BILLION into the SOLAR
INDUSTRY ( enough for additional
installed capacity of 750 GW - as against our current installed
capacity 8.63 GW of
solar , and a target of 100 GW , by 2022 ! )
Remember , how , only a few months
back , tiny Indonesia managed
to collect $ 300 billion of its Black
Money , by levying tax ( no penalty )
of just 4 % !
And with this kind of INCENTIVE
WINDOW ( to convert BLACK into WHITE ) , expect
* Hundreds of SOS Units to spring up before 31 March 2018
* They will have ZERO cost as far as servicing of EQUITY is concerned ! No
dividends !
* They will not need to borrow funds from banks and pay interest ( no danger of
NPA ! )
* They will say : We are not in the business of " manufacturing of panels " but we
are in
" Delivering electric power to homes / businesses "
With
regards
Hemen
Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 24 Jan
2022
Related
Readings :
https://mnre.gov.in/solar/current-status/