In a panic to meet its solar energy target Karnataka changed its policy. The move has almost destroyed the initiative.
THE THOUGHT behind Karnataka’s move was noble, but the execution was shoddy. When the state announced its solar policy on May 22, 2014, and declared that its target was to produce 400 MW of power from rooftop solar panels by 2018, the decision was hailed as ambitious but praiseworthy. It, however, did not make much impact. In December 2015, the state government changed the policy and opened up the sector. Within just five months, it signed agreements for installing solar panels to produce 1,556 MW. But the decision also generated controversies, court cases and discontent among the public.
Karnataka has five power distribution companies, or discoms, that are allowed to sign power purchase agreements (ppas) with anyone who wants to install rooftop solar panels and sell the power produced to the grid. Realising that ppas for only 5 MW had been signed since the policy was announced, the state government issued a notification on December 10, 2015, which said that ppas can even be signed for buildings that are “under construction”. The rate at which power can be sold to the grid was kept at R9.56 per unit, as per an order issued in October 2013. The rate was the highest in the country at that time. As a result, by May 2016 the state received 5,631 proposals for ppas, of which 3,494 were signed. However, power production under most of them has not started, and on September 23, 2016, the total installed rooftop solar power capacity of the state was just 19.36 MW.
Blame game
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2016 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2016 de Down To Earth.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
