Chhattisgarh is among states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh which has issued mandatory notifications for installation of Roof-Top Solar (RTS) Systems in different category of Government buildings.
Notably, the Union Ministry of Urban Development had requested all States and UTs in 2014 to issue necessary directives to all State Government Departments for using roof top of buildings under their control for solar power generation on mandatory basis and also to local bodies under their jurisdiction to incorporate the similar provision in their building bye-laws so that installation of Roof Top Systems (RTS) on rooftops of all types of buildings in their jurisdiction may become mandatory.
Further, the Ministry of Urban Development also issued Model Building Bye-laws, 2016, in which suitable provisions for installation of RTS on buildings have been incorporated.
The Central Government has launched several schemes for promotion and development of renewable energy including solar energy in the country from time to time.
A target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022 has been set, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power.
Most of the investment in Solar Power sector has been made by the private sector. The Government is promoting development of solar energy in the country by providing various fiscal and promotional incentives such as accelerated depreciation, waiver of Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges and losses, financing solar rooftop systems as part of home loan, and permitting Foreign Direct Investment up to 100 per cent under the automatic route.
Notably, Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) is also targeting installation of grid connected Roof top Solar PV Projects across the State. The generated solar power may be utilized for captive application and the surplus power will be fed to the grid, officials informed.
The aim is to reduce the fossil fuel based electricity load on main grid and make building self-sustainable from the point of electricity, to the extent possible.
Notably, Chhattisgarh commissioned grid connected solar projects with cumulative capacity of 128.91 MW as on October 31, 2017, according to a status report of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Chhattisgarh is among 15 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal which has come out with Solar Policy supporting grid connected rooftop systems, the Central Government has informed.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has included renewable energy projects under priority sector lending for which bank loans up to a limit of Rs 15 crore to borrowers will be available for renewable energy projects including grid connected solar rooftop and ground mounted systems. For individual households, the loan limit is Rs 10 lakh per borrower, it informed.