Even as the Capital awaits the announcement of new power tariffs, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission has announced solar tariff regulations.
The DERC adopted the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's terms and conditions for the tariff related to solar power.
According to the DERC, the order is in line with the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Power Mission guidelines.
As fixed by the CERC tariff for renewable energy sources, the cost of solar power is up to Rs.17 per unit, but according to the DERC order the discoms will charge Rs.5.50 per unit from consumers for green power. The power purchase cost and the subsidy amount will be generation-based incentives (GBI) that will be provided by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Also, under the existing tariff order of Delhi, up to 1per cent of power procured by the discoms can be taken from renewable sources like wind or solar based energy sources.
The order will also cover plant sizes lower than 1 MW until the CERC prescribes separate rates for the category.
Companies or individuals who wish to make a foray into setting up of solar projects will also be able to tie-up with the discoms to benefit from the GBI scheme being offered by the Ministry.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had announced the guidelines under the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Power Mission this past year under which States are eligible for a major subsidy on solar power for projects of up to 20 MW.
To register with the Ministry and benefit from the scheme, all States were asked to announce their solar power tariffs by July 15.
The scheme is being offered for a maximum generation of 20 MW for a period of 25 years.
