Karnataka ranked first as the best state in India for rooftop solar projects
The Indian state of Karnataka has been ranked first in the Index that evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop solar development. The states of Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have been ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively.
The ‘State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL)’, launched on August 21, has been designed collaboratively by India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).
SARAL is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment in India. Five broad buckets have been identified to assess the performance of rooftop solar sector in all states:
- robustness of policy framework
- implementation environment
- investment climate
- consumer experience
- business ecosystem
The Index encourages each state to assess the initiatives taken so far and improve solar rooftop ecosystems, with the aim to help states channelize investments and create a more conducive environment for solar rooftop installations to accelerate growth of the sector.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power is to be operational by March 2022, of which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops.
The Indian Grid Connected Rooftop PV (GRPV) segment is slowly gaining momentum with substantial interest from entrepreneurs, developers, financial institutions, development banks, end users and government entities. On a very positive note, rooftop solar PV has already achieved grid parity for commercial and industrial consumers and is fast becoming attractive for residential consumers as well.
Source: Press Release by Government of India’s Press Information Bureau.
