Final report on new solar power policy ready

NEW DELHI, October 27: Delhi government is likely to approve new solar power policy next month which will allow residents to install solar panels on rooftops of their households to meet shortage of electricity in the national capital. The policy will also allow installation of solar panels on the rooftops of government buildings and bus stands of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to generate power. A senior government official said power department has prepared a final report of solar power policy which is expected to be tabled in the Cabinet in November. The official also said the new policy aims to generate 1,000 MW solar power for the national capital till 2020. In September, Delhi Dialogue Commission, an Advisory Body of the AAP government, had presented a draft policy recommending generation of 1,000 MW solar power capacity for the national capital by 2020. The draft policy recommends installation of 1 Giga Watt (1 GW = 1,000 Mega Watts) solar power capacity in Delhi by the year 2020. It is proposed to double it to 2 GW by 2025, which is 21 percent of national capital's peak power demand. "In seven years, a family will recover the investment made for solar installation. Average age of solar plant is 25 years so a family can enjoy free electricity for 17-18 years... Payback time for commercial, industrial and government is only 5.5 years and it will save Rs 15,000 each year," DDC Vice Chairman Ashish Khetan had said while presenting draft of solar power policy.