Chandigarh to set up rooftop solar plants on houses for free

Chandigarh will be the first in the country where private players will be invited for installing rooftop solar plants on private residential buildings for free.

The Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), the nodal agency for installing solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants on rooftops, proposed the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) with a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

CREST filed a petition before the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for installing grid-connected rooftop power projects for domestic consumers by a third party under the RESCO BOT model as per provisions of the JERC.

CREST submitted that the issues raised by the Union Territory (UT) Electricity Department had been addressed, and the department has agreed to the new business model submitted for approval.

The Electricity Department approved the business model. The department has also agreed to the terms and conditions under the Quadripartite Agreement (QPA) except for a provision of banking of power in QPA.

Chief Executive Officer of CREST, Debendra Dalai, told the media the UT was expected to get approval for implementing the business model in the city from the JERC.

He said that it would boost solar power generation, and Chandigarh would be the first city in India to implement the model.

Under the proposed business model, a private company will install solar panels free of cost. The owners will have to give rooftop space to the firm, and they will get electricity at nearly Rs 1.50 per unit less than the already existing rates for the next 15 years.

After completing the BOT period, the company will give the solar power plant to the owner. The company will recover the cost by selling the power generated from the plant.

Dalai said that all the maintenance works would be carried out by the company during the BOT period. The remaining power after utilisation by the household will be transferred to the national grid.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has enhanced the city’s solar power generation target from 69 MW by 2022 to 75 MW by 15 August 2023. The UT Electricity Department has achieved a generation target of around 47 MW.

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Also read: MNRE to implement Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II