New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday said installing elevated solar systems will no longer require 'Change in Land Use', as the government has removed the major regulatory
hurdle in the process.
He said the move will help farmers double their income, as the procedure for installing elevated solar plants on agricultural land has been simplified.
Such installations will not violate the Delhi Land Reforms Act of 1954, the minister clarified.
Sood said this addresses long-standing concerns related to land regulations that had restricted the expansion of solar energy projects in the capital. "Farmers will be able to generate power through elevated solar installations while continuing agricultural activities on the same land," he said.
"For too long, Delhi's energy potential was trapped in a years-old legislative maze. While the rest of the world moved toward decentralised energy, our farmers were stuck waiting for permissions that never came," the minister said.
He added that the initiative aligns with the government's broader push to promote renewable energy and decentralised power generation in the city.
The reform removes the requirement for 'Change in Land Use' by allowing the Revenue Department to accept a simple standardised undertaking, significantly reducing delays, while enabling dual-use land productivity, an official statement said.
Agricultural activities can continue beneath elevated solar structures so that food security is not compromised, it added.
The move also aligns Delhi with the Government of India's Net Zero and renewable energy goals, the government said.
It will allow farmers to monetise surplus power injected into the grid by leveraging Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission's Virtual and Group Net Metering regulations, it stated.
Sood said the move has been implemented in coordination with the Delhi Development Authority, the law and revenue departments, and forms part of the government's efforts to promote Delhi as a hub for solar energy.
The undertaking for installing elevated solar plants on agricultural land mentions that no permanent structure for residential or commercial purpose should be built as the land will be used for agricultural and renewable energy generation.
According to the statement, only elevated solar structures and associated equipment such as ring metering units (RMUs), inverter room, etc. shall be constructed on the land.
Additionally, upon expiry of lease period or agreement with solar developer, the solar installation and associated structures shall be removed, without any encumbrance, it added. PTI SHB PRK PRK
