Policy

The adoption of local, community-based energy solutions like rooftop solar and batteries can help make the energy grid more flexible and reliable. Home solar and batteries will enable the growth of ‘prosumers’ who produce and share energy, as well as consume it.

The government provides subsidy support under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme and reduced taxation rates to promote EV uptake in India. Purchase of 3,61,000 EVs with incentives cumulating to about INR 600 crore has been supported to date under the FAME Scheme.

The Ministry of Power has issued a draft amendment to Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which allows net metering for rooftop solar systems of loads up to 500 kW or up to the sanctioned load, whichever is lower and net billing (gross metering) or net feed-in for above 500 kW.

A survey conducted among top executives in the renewable energy industry elicited positive feedback on most fronts, including government policies, demand for renewable power as well as land. 

The Ministry of Earth Sciences will strengthen meteorological forecasting activities in sync with the demands of the solar and wind energy sector stakeholders. It is already working on a five-year (2021-26) plan, said M. Rajeevan, Secretary, MoES, at a virtual workshop conducted recently.

Through various initiatives and schemes, the Indian government has created a conducive environment for industry stakeholders to expand domestic manufacturing. The industry should seize the opportunity to ramp up capacity and manufacture emerging technologies such as monocrystalline (mono-Si), bifacial and half-cut cells, micro-inverters, and tracking equipment, all of which promise further solar efficiency gains over the coming years.

We will need 10.7 TW of clean energy generation capacity this decade to stay on track with the most ambitious of the climate change paths agreed in Paris, which would include plenty of solar investment and jobs, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

The idea behind introducing the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) was to have a quality benchmark for solar modules. However, in its current form, it is more of a non-tariff barrier for foreign manufacturers and limits solar developers in terms of the choice of module wattage and make.  

As PV waste is set to rise rapidly in the coming decades, India needs to invest in efficient recycling technologies and devise a clear-cut policy for the safe disposal of PV waste. Guidelines for stringent quality checks and validation for both imported and locally produced solar panels are also needed to avoid early-loss solar waste.

India’s solar-powered irrigation mission has had a sluggish run despite the PM-KUSUM scheme providing ample flexibility and budgetary support for the system implementation. An IEEFA report highlights the need to address the challenges of coordination, affordability, business models, technology and awareness creation at State level to increase the uptake.