Here's Why Delhi Homes Should Go Solar

After the submission of draft solar policy by the Delhi government, the capital will will soon get the final incentive-based solar power policy, which will aim at rewarding homes that install solar power systems. The draft policy aims at people's participation in embracing the renewable technology and continuous generation of power from this source. To achieve this, the policy also offers performance based rewards for homes in Delhi that install the systems.

With this policy, Delhi home owners will be sensitised about solar and hence, show stronger participation. In addition to helping save the environment and curb increasing pollution across the country, solar panel installation have certain advantages too. Here are a few:

Cut the fuel cost

In spite of negligible power cuts in the capital, the seasonal demand for electricity keeps on soaring with every passing year. During the peak season (summers), the power requirement in Delhi and national capital region (NCR) included goes up by 5,000MW. In this season, many households switch to diesel burning generators as well as inverters, which restricts the users to only run important appliances and that too of certain wattage. With solar panels, the homeowners will be able to generate low-cost electricity 24x7, without paying for fuel.

Generate your own electricity

At present, Delhi households enjoy electricity at subsidised rates but many power utilities are now unable to bear the cost of these subsidies. To overcome this, in future, the government might pull away these subsidies, thus, hurting the power bills. But generating your own power, using solar power generation techniques, will make homes self-sufficient and reduce 100 per cent dependence on these power distribution companies. 

Sustainable homes sell at better price

Real estate experts believe that homes, which have green and sustainable add-ons such as solar panels or water harvesting, will fetch a better price than its non-sustainable counterpart, when up for sale. Home buyers will pay a premium for homes that have a set-up that generates power as it will give an instant control on their utility bills.

Save money in the long-term

With solar power home owners can replace at least 20-30 per cent of conventional power usage, which means saving lakhs of rupees in the long-term. While in short-run, saving 20 per cent in the monthly power bill is good news as well. Moreover, if the government gives performance based incentives, the pie will only get sweeter. Many homes, especially in countries like Germany treat these solar incentives as regular income.

Lowered capital costs

Many people shy away from solar panel installation due to the high initial capital costs as the equipment and installation can cost a small fortune. The Delhi government has taken care of this with pay-as-you-go models for the interested households, a popular practice in the West. Thus, the only pain point for home owners is eased. In the United States (US), a third party will provide equipment and installation and own it too, acting as the semi-utility, which bills home owners. However, many such interesting models can be moulded and adopted to make it easier for home owners to invest.

Low maintenance & high durability
The age of solar installation is as high as 25 years and is not high on maintenance. Very few repairs and reconstructions are required in years but, ensure that the panels are cleaned regularly and are not clouded by trees, get direct sunlight and not damaged.  

Given the age of this system, home owners can recover the investment made in it less than seven years. After the asset is depreciated or in simpler terms paid for itself, the solar power generated for the next few years will be free.