Diplomat Correspondent
Leh, DD, The Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, chaired a meeting to discuss the proposed draft of the Commercial Rooftop Solar Policy under the UT’s Commercial Solar Scheme.
The meeting focused on strategies to promote clean and decentralized energy generation through rooftop and ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the commercial sector of Ladakh.
A comprehensive presentation was delivered by the concerned department outlining the key components of the proposed policy.
The scheme aims to provide financial and operational support to commercial category consumers for the adoption of grid-connected rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV systems.
The presentation covered critical aspects including the project’s objectives, consumer profiling, energy accounting mechanisms, system capacity ranges, eligibility criteria, projected growth of commercial consumers, and trends in subsidy allocation.
The proposal also included details on the metering mechanism, generation guarantee clause, and documentation required to avail subsidies and obtain commissioning permissions.
During the deliberation, Dr. Kotwal emphasized the importance of creating a clear and efficient framework that ensures increased solar energy consumption among commercial consumers.
He suggested adopting a transparent “first come, first served” approach to beneficiary selection, instead of rigid eligibility criteria that may limit participation.
He further recommended aligning the criteria with national schemes like PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and stressed the need to ensure that only verified and serious consumers are onboarded.
Dr. Kotwal also raised pertinent questions regarding procurement of solar panels, particularly whether the policy mandates the use of Made-in-India products and insisted on selecting only those vendors with proven and consistent performance records, preferably those with ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers) certification.
He highlighted that system constraints and policy dynamics often evolve over time, and urged the department to design the scheme with flexibility while maintaining strict standards of implementation.
He instructed the concerned officials to prioritize functional rooftops and genuine commercial users, streamline the application and verification process, and work towards creating a carbon-neutral environment in Ladakh.
The initiative, he stated, should benefit both the people and the environment in alignment with Ladakh’s sustainable development goals.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner/Secretary, Finance, Laltinkhuma Franklin; Vikram Singh Malik, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Power Development Department & NRE; Chief Engineer, Generation, UT Ladakh; Superintending Engineer, PDD; Executive Engineer, PDD; Project Directors of LREDA and KREDA; President of ALGHA, Leh; President of AKTTA, Kargil; and other senior officials from the concerned departments.DD
