Power tariff hike in Delhi unreasonable: Greenpeace

Solar power can safeguard the consumers from recurring power tariff hikes

26 July, 2013, New Delhi: Greenpeace today termed the recent Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (DERC) hike in power tariff as unreasonable. The tariffs have been increased by 5% which means approximately 30 paise per unit increase for the residential consumers. Abhishek Paratap, Senior Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace India said, “The hike will have an impact on the common people as the tariffs have already been increased twice this year. Instead of increasing the tariffs Delhi needs to invest in solar and also demand the DISCOMs to purchase more renewable energy¹. With the price of power from solar going down, this will cushion people from repeated tariff hikes due to rising coal prices. The tariff hikes will be more frequent if we continue depending on coal and fossil fuel based power generation.”

Greenpeace India recently released its report “Rooftop Revolution: Unleashing Delhi’s Solar Potential” showcasing Delhi’s potential for rooftop solar power at 2.5 giga watts (GW) using only 1.6 per cent of the city’s roofspace².

The increasing power tariffs from grid electricity and the falling prices of solar systems make solar a viable, potential and sustainable source of energy. In 2012 alone, power tariffs in Delhi increased by about 20 per cent, on the other hand, solar prices have fallen by almost 50 per cent in the last two years.