ANNOUNCEMENTS
As per the “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)”, India plans to accomplish an overall solar energy capacity of a hundred Giga Watts by 2022 wherein forty Giga Watts would be comprised of solar energy derived from “off grid/ distributive” solar infrastructure. However, it is observed that the decentralised/ “off grid” solar power sector in the nation continues to face impediments that hinder its development thus mandating the necessity for a specialised policy intervention, coupled with the Central Government’s continued emphasis on Grid-linked power access to urban as well as rural/remote parts of India. The first chapter of the paper discusses the evolution of India’s decentralised/ “off grid” sector through the nation’s five year plans up to the introduction of the “JNNSM”. The second chapter elaborates upon the regulatory and policy initiatives taken up by the Government of India for the advancement of decentralised solar power. The third chapter deals with issues/impediments faced in the decentralised solar power sector with the help of several case studies conducted across the nation. The paper concludes through the fourth and final chapter by elaborating upon success stories pertaining to decentralised solar energy ventures established across the nation followed by the proposition of a specific policy framework governing the decentralised/ “off grid” solar power sector, which can be considered as a precursor towards establishing a statutory legal framework specifically pertaining to India’s decentralised solar energy sector. Moreover, further impediments and focus areas could be identified through the practical implementation of such a policy, thereby facilitating the formation of a well-structured, refined Statutory legislation.
