Delhi, the capital city of India, is moving towards a greener future with an ambitious plan to generate an additional 6,000 MW of electricity using renewable energy sources. This goal has been set by Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, who stated that the city government is determined to reduce the city’s dependence on fossil fuels and make Delhi self-sufficient in its energy requirements.

In a recent meeting of the energy department, Sisodia stressed the importance of adopting rooftop solar panels faster, in line with the city’s new solar policy. The policy encourages residents to install solar panels on their rooftops with a generation-based incentive of Rs 2-3 per unit for residential and Re 1 per unit for commercial. The policy also includes a subsidy of Rs 2000 per kilowatt per consumer, with a maximum of Rs 10,000.

The draft solar policy recommends that all government buildings with rooftop areas of 500 square meters or more be solarized, and targets the installation of 500 MW additional rooftop solar plants over the next three years. The energy department is currently looking for potential locations to set up solar energy plants and is exploring initiatives such as floating solar plants above lakes.

According to officials, Delhi’s power discoms currently have tie-ups to generate an estimated 8,471 MW of electricity, with 33% (around 2,826 MW) generated from renewable sources. The main sources of renewable energy are solar and wind, which contribute around 2,000 MW to Delhi’s power supply. The discoms are also in consultation with different agencies for an additional renewable energy supply of 3,000 MW.

In June 2022, Delhi’s highest electricity demand was 7,695 MW, and with the completion of various renewable energy generation projects, Delhi can expect to receive an additional 2,100 MW of electricity sourced from renewable energy. These actions are expected to result in an increase of sustainable power generation capacity of up to 6,000 MW in the next three years.

In conclusion, Delhi’s new solar policy is a significant step towards a greener future, and the city government’s commitment to generating electricity from renewable energy sources will ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity for its residents. The Delhi government’s efforts to meet the growing electricity demand and reduce dependence on fossil fuels is commendable and sets an example for other cities to follow.