Solar Energy Policies for Commercial Buildings in India: Experiences of Building Owners and Managers

Abstract

To fulfill the demands of a country that is fast developing and heavily reliant on fossil fuels, India’s energy sector has expanded rapidly. Since renewable energy sources are plentiful, limitless, and ecologically beneficial, they provide an alluring answer to the world’s mounting energy problems. Numerous initiatives have been taken in the direction of developing solar energy in all fields by the national and state-level governments in India. This study evaluates the various government initiatives for off-grid solar photovoltaic (SPV)/solar water heating (SWH) systems from the viewpoint of building owners and managers of commercial establishments in India. Building owners and managers rated environmental consciousness as the most important accelerator for installing SPV/SWH system. Limited financial and fiscal incentives from the government, limited sources of information with unclear, technical, and incomplete content, and government websites not being updated regularly were reported as the barriers hindering the installation of SPV/SWH systems in commercial establishments. The study thus identified gaps in the implementation of government initiatives and recommended improvements. The recommendations will go a long way in bringing all the stakeholders on the same page for the better functioning of the policy regime.