Haryana Releases Draft Solar Policy, Aims To Install 6GW RE Power

By Saur News Bureau/ Updated On Wed, Nov 8th, 2023

Highlights :

*The draft policy puts focus on rooftop solar, ground-mounted solar and solarisation of irrigation.

* The new policy will replace the Haryana Solar Power Policy of 2016.

Haryana Releases Draft Solar Policy, Aims To Install 6GW RE Power

The Haryana New and Renewable Energy Department has published its latest draft Solar Policy 2023. It has asked the stakeholders concerned to submit their opinion on the same within the next one month. In the latest draft note, the state renewable department aimed to install a cumulative 6000 Megawatt (MW) by 2030 in Haryana.

The agency has planned to execute the plan with the help of solar rooftops, ground-mounted solar and solarisation of irrigation. The new policy planned to add 1600 MW of solar power through rooftop solar, 3200 MW capacity from ground-mounted solar plants and 1200 Mw from solarisation of irrigation pumps in Haryana by 2030.

The new draft policy will supersede the 2016 Solar Power Policy of the state. In contrast to the 2016 Haryana Solar Policy, which was silent on battery storage, the new policy talked about solar power projects in the state with or without storage systems or other solar projects blended with other renewable resources (hybrid projects). The new policy even said that the government might provide subsidies on storage systems for utility-scale solar power projects for the sale of power to discoms.

Haryana Issues Tender To Solarise Its Govt Buildings With RTS

Also Read

The draft Haryana Solar Policy, also has maintained the 20 percent reservation of total capacity of ground mounted MW scale solar power projects for small generators up to 2 MW capacity. It also said that there would be no limit for the installation of solar power plants by entities for their own consumption, and such plants might be setup at any location in India where the benefits could be taken through open access.

Regarding rooftop solar, the state talked about allowing such a system either through CAPEX mode or RESCO mode. It also allowed the consumers to allow rooftop solar systems to eligible consumers as long as the total capacity (In MW) of rooftop solar systems does not exceed the target capacity. It also allowed a maximum cumulative capacity of upto 500 MW. This contrasts the limit of a maximum of 1 MWp for grid-connected solar rooftop systems, allowed in the last policy. It also said that the maximum rated capacity of the rooftop solar system to be installed by any consumer should not exceed its connected load in case of a low-tension connection and contract demand in case of a high-tension connection.

The new draft policy also allows the adoption of virtual metering and group virtual metering for rooftop systems. It also talks about the exemption of wheeling, transmission, cross-subsidy charges and additional charges in open access if the energy is consumed within the same premises. The new policy also talked about banking facilities, exemption from land use approval, international development charges, scrutiny fees, and other fees for developing utility-scale solar power projects in Haryana.