Using renewable sources, Delhi to add 6,000mw in 3 years: Sisodia

A large chunk of power for the 6,000 MW target is likely to come from solar panels, with Sisodia also discussing the new draft solar policy, prepared by the state government last year

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday chaired an energy department meeting and announced that the Delhi government will increase its power generation capacity by around 6,000MW over the next three years by using renewable energy sources.

At the meeting, officials informed deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia that the highest electricity demand recorded in Delhi was 7,695MW in June 2022. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

A large chunk of power for the 6,000 MW target is likely to come from solar panels, with Sisodia also discussing the new draft solar policy, prepared by the state government last year.

At the meeting, officials informed Sisodia that the highest electricity demand recorded in Delhi was 7,695MW in June 2022. At present, discoms have power tie-ups for a total of 8,471MW, of which 33% or around 2,826 MW is being sourced from renewable energy sources. “This primarily comprises of solar energy and wind energy, which contribute approximately 2,000MW to Delhi’s power supply,” an official said in the meeting.

Sisodia said, “Currently, 33% of the total energy demand in Delhi is met through renewable sources of energy. Over the next three years, 6000 MW of renewable energy shall be generated in Delhi through various initiatives of the Government. Thus, during this period, we aim to shift a major part of Delhi’s energy supply to renewable energy, so that our dependence on thermal power plants can be reduced, and we can produce completely clean energy for our citizens. This will also prove to be key in our mission to curb pollution in the city.”

The deputy chief minister also instructed the officials to expedite the installation of solar panels on the rooftops of all buildings under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government, including schools. He also asked officials to explore other potential areas for setting up solar energy panels, and to start exploring pilot projects to set up floating solar plants over water bodies and lakes.

Under the new draft solar policy, people in Delhi will be encouraged to install solar panels on rooftops through a Generation Based Incentive (GBI) of ₹2-3 per unit for the residential sector, and ₹1 for the commercial sector. “The policy also envisages providing a subsidy of ₹2,000 per kilowatt per consumer, up to a maximum limit of ₹10,000. In addition, all government buildings with a rooftop area of 500 square metres and above will be solarised,” an official said, adding that discoms are already in conversation with various agencies for the supply of 3000MW of power.