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Global investors summit: Haryana unveils new solar power policy

IN A bid to generate 4,000-megawatt clean power using solar energy by 2022, the Haryana government Tuesday released its Solar Power Policy 2016.

The policy released during the concluding day of the two-day ‘Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit’ in Gurgaon aims at bringing significant investment from project developers and setting up of solar parks besides installation of solar power plants on canals tops/banks.
The policy also intents to promote small investors by reserving 20 per cent of the target for the projects of capacity of one megawatt to two megawatt.

The solar power policy will provide various incentives such as industrial status, exemption in change of land use approval, electricity duty, besides free wheeling and banking facility and cross subsidy charges. The government has also decided to purchase solar power over and above the solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) subject to a limit of 200 megawatts.

Those who set up their projects within Haryana, the policy provides price preference of two per cent will be given as per the policy and sale of power to Haryana government or to the third party is permitted without levying of any charges.

The policy emphasises upon installation of rooftop solar power project due to land constraints by allowing the sale of power to government at the last lowest discovered tariff without tendering. Rooftop solar power plants can be set up without any permission from the building plan sanctioning authority and the transmission line for evacuation of solar power will also be provided by power utilities free of cost.

The policy has also kept a provision for the installation of Agricultural Solar Powered Pump sets to meet water or irrigation energy needs.

The surplus power generation from the solar pump sets might be bought by the Haryana Power Purchase Centre at average power purchase cost.

Source: Indianexpress.com