Shri RK Singh launches SARAL – State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index

Shri RK Singh, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–SARAL on 21st August 2019. The Index evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop solar power development. SARAL is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment.

Launching the Index, Shri RK Singh said that it would incentivise rooftop solar by creating healthy competition among the States. He encouraged all States to adopt the best practices being followed by top ranking States.

State Rankings in SARAL:

Rank – Karnataka,
Rank – Telangana,
Rank – Gujarat
Rank – Andhra Pradesh.

What is SARAL Index:

SARAL was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. It has been designed collaboratively by:

The 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 currently captures five key aspects –

Robustness of policy framework
Implementation environment
Investment climate
Consumer experience
Business ecosystem

It encourages each state to assess the initiatives taken so far, and what it can do to improve its solar rooftop ecosystem. This will help states to channelize investments that can eventually help the sector grow. In addition, such an exercise is likely to create a more conducive environment for solar rooftop installations, encourage investment and lead to accelerated growth of the sector.

MNRE Solar Targets:

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.