Himachal Pradesh Solar Policy and it's Solar Highlights
Himachal Pradesh translated to "Snow Abode" and is a state that is located in Northern region of India. It has states like Punjab, J&K and Haryana as its neighbouring states. The state is most famous for its hill stations, with Shimla being a real tourist favourite. Shimla happens to be the capital of the state with Dharamsala being the winter capital. Himachal Pradesh, or HP as it is referred to sometimes, has an installed and commissioned rooftop capacity of 0.33MW with .13MW commissioned in the FY 2016/17. In order to promote solar and encourage the investment, Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission has framed regulations offering a fixed tariff of Rs 5 per unit for extra energy produced and fed back to the grid. This is one of the highest tariffs for Net Metering in the country. Himachal Pradesh is also encouraging farmers and unemployed youth to set up projects in distributed fashion. These plants will be typically in the range of 500KW to 5MW. There are also plans to set up solar parks in the state. Even though there are no real large-scale solar power plants in the state, the state is purchasing up to 35MW solar power from plants outside the state. As a part of the target set for the National Solar Mission, Himachal Pradesh is chasing 220 MW solar commissioned capacity by the year 2022.
Bringing Solar Power to the people
In consonance with the National Policy, the State Govt has formulated the Solar Power Policy which was notified on 4th March 2014. In order to simplify the procedure and as per the recommendations of Project Developers, the revised Solar Power Policy with key amendments was notified on 24th January 2016. Solar Energy is one of the most viable option to supplement Hydro amongst the Renewable Energy Technologies. Solar Energy is in line with the objective of sustainable development by producing clean energy. Encouraging Investors, Stakeholders & Individuals for Solar Energy is a priority for Himurja to move forward with eco-friendly Power initiatives.
The Govt. of India has upscaled the capacity target from 20,000 MW to 1,75,000 MW (175 GW) to be achieved by 2022, of which 40 GW is planned through Grid Connected Rooftop Solar mode. The H.P. State Government is keen to contribute to achieving the targets set under the National Solar Mission for the development of Solar Power. Hence, our Solar Power Policy emphasizes its efficiency and recommends it to all investors.
In an attempt to tap solar power potential in Himachal Pradesh, the Himachal government is inviting applications for setting up 250 KW to 500 KW power project in the private sector to provide employment to unemployed youth.
A plan has been prepared by the HP Energy development agency (HIMURJA) for tapping 20 MW solar energy which would be notified soon, Tarun Kapoor, Additional Chief Secretary, Renewable Energy said.
He said the plan has been approved by the government and under this scheme, solar power projects of at least 250 KW and maximum 500 KW will be set up on the private land of the applicant.
“The plan would provide employment to unemployed youth and also result in utilisation of barren lands across the state,” he said.
Kapoor said only permanent Himachali residents are eligible for setting up of the projects. Partnership firms and private companies may also apply, provided that the share of Permanent Himachali is 100 per cent, he added.
The projects would be allotted on ‘First Come, First Serve’ basis and HIMURJA would be accept 40 to 80 applications for the same.
“The government would not accept more applications after the limit of 20 MW power is exhausted,”
