A government answer in Rajya Sabha to a question on the state-wise use and funding of the solar rooftop scheme of the Centre revealed that 86% of the installed capacity and 89% of funding is being utilized in Gujarat. The grid-connected solar rooftop scheme aims to generate 40 GW (40,000 MW) from Rooftop Solar projects by the end of 2022.
State distribution companies (DISCOMS) have been tasked with achieving the capacity target in each state with incentives of up to 5% and 10% for corresponding increases in installed capacity. The baseline is the cumulative RTS capacity installed last year is at 6.48 GW, while the government aims for 40 GW by the end of this year. Gujarat has a significant share of the DISCOMS to which RTS project targets have been allocated, with 33 in total.
The uneven uptake and financing of RTS projects across states reveals a possible factor which has dragged on the achievement of the government’s announced target. India has committed to achieving 500 GW of installed renewable capacity by 2030, and so far, it has 50 GW of cumulative installed solar energy capacity as of February 28th, with 300 GW expected by 2030 to meet the clean energy target. There was a 200% annual increase in 2021 with the addition of 10 GW of installed solar capacity. The Union government has stated that the renewable energy generation of 175 GW by 2022.
Some experts say that the large gap between the government’s stated target of 40 GW and the low capacity at present means that decentralized renewable energy alternatives must complement the efforts of utility-scale PV (photovoltaic panels) RTS projects in increasing solar capacity. The benefits would include reduction in transmission and distribution losses and reduced need for intensive capital investment.
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