Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a half-day workshop on ‘Business Perspectives on Accelerating Rooftop Solar PV Market in Jharkhand’. A total of 86 participants attended the workshop.
The workshop aimed to assess interventions to kick start market based rooftop solar business model through innovative financing, policy and regulatory support and consumer awareness in the state. The workshop was organized under the project ‘Market Transformation and Removal of Barriers for Effective Implementation of State- level Climate Change Action Plan’ in Jharkhand. The Project is implemented by UNDP in coordination with JREDA and Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Jharkhand.
The workshop also provided the platform to launch JREDA Solar Rooftop App ‘AHA Solar’ and Technology Facilitation Desk (TFD) portal for investment promotion in clean energy segment in Jharkhand. AHA Solar is a market place that connects Customers, Installers, DisComs and JREDA and the App is designed and customized for the promotion of rooftop solar PV systems and assistance of installations of rooftop solar systems in Jharkhand. Technology Facilitation Desk (TFD) is an information resource facilitation centre established to promote and scale-up clean energy technologies in Jharkhand.
Secretary, Energy Department Nitin Madan Kulkarni inaugurated the AHA solar App and the TFD portal which are the initiatives of the Government to bridge the information gap, empower consumers and create new markets in Jharkhand clean energy space. In his keynote address the Secretary emphasized on the potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state and how accelerating the adoption of technologies like rooftop solar PV is key to address the power issues in the state. Director, JREDA, Niranjan Kumar mentioned that State has already installed around 4.5 MW of roof top solar project on selected Government buildings and have made an ambitious plan of implementing roof top solar across all government buildings in Jharkhand.
Project Director, JREDA, Arvind Kumar, mentioned an additional 20 per cent financial assistance to be offered to residential, institutional and social sector consumers in the state over and above 30 per cent Central subsidy. He also outlined that Jharkhand is the first state in the country to have announced 10 per cent subsidy for the industrial/commercial sector where there is no Central sector assistance. He also outlined that process for implementing the net metering regulation needs to be streamlined to accelerate the adoption of solar rooftop in the state.
Programme Analyst, UNDP, SN Srinivas deliberated on a range of measures across renewable energy and energy efficiency which the Government should consider to improve energy supply in the state. On the launch of the AHA! Solar App, Dr. Omkar Jani, Principal Research Scientist from GERMI, a leading R&D organization promoted by Government of Gujarat, lauded "the landmark initiative of knowledge transfer between two states to achieve a common goal towards sustainability.”
The workshop highlighted on various key aspects of promoting solar rooftop technology including the policy environment, regulation, finance and markets through a range of presentations.
Panelists representing industries and discom like Tata Steel, JUSCO, solar developers including Fourth Partner, ONergy and Gram Oorja, deliberated on the key support needed to enhance access of clean, quality, reliable and affordable energy for all consumers in Jharkhand.
A range of key stakeholders including, policy makers; commercial, industrial and residential consumers; solar developers; state utilities; financial and educational institutions; etc. participated in the workshop.