BANGALORE: The Cabinet on Thursday approved a new solar policy which encourages households to generate solar power on their roof-tops and sell the surplus energy to the state grid.
The new policy is expected to give a major boost to solar power production in the state.
The policy envisages generating 450 MW energy in the 2014-15 financial year.
Briefing reporters, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said the policy also promotes production of solar power by land-owning farmers with a minimum capacity of 1 MW and maximum capacity of 3 MW per farmer. Cumulative capacity under this category is fixed at 300 MW.
The government will facilitate purchase of energy generated under this category through ESCOMS at the tariff fixed by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The new policy for 2014-2021 envisages solar power generation of 2,000 MW by 2021 in the state, he added.
The government has also decided that projects having a capacity of more than 3 MW will be selected for tax concessions based on a competitive bidding process.
The government is also contemplating an amendment to the existing building by-laws on Floor Area Ratio to exempt additional floor area created under solar cell panels with light roofing, he said.
Features of the new Policy
■ Development of Solar Parks across state
■ Grid tied canal corridor projects
■ Grid connected solar lines with other renewable hybrid projects
■ A separate dedicated cell with staff drawn from revenue department in KREDL to ensure creation of government/private land banks for development of solar projects on lease basis
■ Time bound clearance and power to deputy commissioners to approve purchase of agriculture lands for solar projects
■ Government contemplates to facilitate deemed conversion of land for solar projects by amending section 95 of the Land Reforms Act.
■ Solar PV projects shall be exempted from obtaining clearance from Pollution Control Board