In a bid to accelerate the adoption of solar energy across residential and commercial sites nationally, the Government of India has declared its intent to hire and train nearly one lakh individuals for the installation process. This is in line with the larger mission of encouraging the adoption of solar energy across residential and commercial buildings. The GoI had announced the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in 2010. Ever since this announcement, the Mission has witnessed a tri-renewal — between 2010-2014; between 2015-2017; and between 2018-2022 — but much more remains to be done to meet its strategic objectives. Despite framework revisions and target rescheduling, the government seems to have hit a roadblock owing to its own regulatory mismatches.
Let’s take the case of getting a solar panel installed on a residential building in Dwarka, Delhi. To obtain a net-metering connection, a building owner, through a vendor, will have to submit three sets of documents. First, he/she will have to submit an application form with the details of the customer and the vendor as well as a list of declarations on behalf of the consumer to the state electricity board. Step two involves submitting a registration form, which includes the submission of a letter to the nodal officer for expressing interest to instal a net-metering cell along with a consumer vendor agreement. Step three requires the submission of a project completion report and evidence of installed solar plants with geo coordinates as part of the pre-site checklist.
These long-drawn-out government approvals add to the list of compliances. Therefore, a resident in Delhi wanting to instal solar panels in his/her building in the month of March is likely to have to wait until June to be able to use it. Surveys from the empanelled vendors reveal that the process takes anywhere between 75-85 working days. The key factor contributing to this lengthy process is not the installation per se but the government approvals.
Furthermore, the process is entirely opaque. This is because electricity boards do not usually provide details of the time it would take for the approval of applications and inspections. For instance, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation solar website lists four steps when it comes to installing rooftop solar — (a) submission of a request (application and applicable fee); (b) document verification; (c) NOC generation; (d) approval of the request. However, neither the NDMC solar portal nor the Delhi Solar Policy 2022 mentions the time within which these approvals will be granted. In absence of a turnaround time, users are left with little information as far as the time taken for an approval is concerned.
International comparison shows that the process of installation is easier in other countries. Malaysia, for instance, does not require any permit for off-grid and on-grid systems for residential installation. In Singapore, only the town planner’s permission is required for the installation if an individual is outsourcing the process. However, if individuals intend to engage in self-installation, they will not require the town planning authority’s approval; an endorsement by a certified electrical worker will suffice.
In India, states are constantly placing stress on increasing the adoption of solar energy. The Delhi Solar Policy 2023 mandates the installation of rooftop solar connections on any new building constructed after the implementation of the amendment dated March 8, 2019 to Delhi’s building laws. Similarly, Chandigarh, in 2023, also mandated a space of nearly 500 square feet to be provided for the installation of a 5 kWp solar plant in houses of 500 square yards and above. Even in Gujarat, a frontrunner in solar adoption, companies have been reporting regulatory delays and bureaucratic obstacles hindering the installation process. These mandates will fail to suffice in the absence of concurrent measures to reduce non-fiscal barriers to the adoption of solar energy.
India has successfully curbed the economic and the infrastructural barriers to solar adoption through incentivising the formation of a robust market base. It is now pertinent that the government realigns its policy focus towards social and regulatory reforms that promote ease of installation. India’s efforts at revising the process of solar energy installation will go a long way in meeting the country’s international commitments. In 2015, India and France jointly created the International Solar Alliance. The Alliance aims at bringing countries together to deploy solar energy solutions, which can help fight climate change. Easing the process of the adoption of solar energy will not only provide relief to Indian consumers but also set an example for the other ISA member countries so that they can emulate India’s commitment to solar energy.
Sirjan Kaur is a Senior Development Associate at a public policy institution. Anmol Rattan Singh is an Assistant Professor at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh
