Gujarat Govt announces new solar power policy

Ahmedabad, Aug 17: Gujarat Government on Tuesday announced a new solar power policy which seeks to provide incentives to generating units and significantly scale up production from this renewable and clean source of energy.

The Energy and Petrochemicals Department brought out the 'Gujarat Solar Power Policy-2015'. This is the second solar power policy announced by the Government. the first one was unveiled in 2009.

As per the document released by the Department, the policy of 2009 resulted in a "cumulative solar power generation capacity in excess of 1000 megawatts (MW) with investment of about Rs 9,000 crore".

Now, the Government wants to further scale up the production as Gujarat has potential to achieve more than 10,000 MW of solar generation capacity, said the new policy.

Under the policy, solar power generators (SPGs), installed and commissioned during the operative period (till 2020), shall become eligible for benefits and incentives for a period of 25 years from their date of commissioning.

The policy is aimed at promoting several modes of generation, including roof-top solar power for house/building owners, distribution of solar-powered pumps to farmers and standalone photo-voltaic (PV) systems for domestic use.

The state will facilitate de-centralised and off-grid solar applications to meet various energy requirements for domestic purpose, according to an official release.

For those living in remote areas, where regular grid-based connection is not feasible, the Government will initiate schemes for basic home lighting using PV system.

On the issue of acquisition of land for setting up solar projects, the policy has put the onus on companies wanting to install such units.

"Solar project developers shall be responsible for obtaining and for setting up and operating solar projects," stated the new document.

PTI