SARAL Index: Karnataka tops the index, Telangana ranked second

SARAL Index: Karnataka has topped the SARAL index, which evaluates the Indian states on the basis of their attractiveness for rooftop development. Other states Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh were ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively.

The State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL) was launched by Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) RK Singh on August 21, 2019. The index aims to incentivise rooftop solar by creating healthy competition among the states. The Union Minister encouraged all the states to adopt the best practices being followed by top-ranking states.

The index was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) meeting with the states and state power utilities.

SARAL Index

The SARAL index has been jointly designed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), ASSOCHAM and Ernst & Young (EY).

Following are the five key aspects of the SARAL index:

• Robustness of policy framework
• Implementation environment
• Investment climate
• Consumer experience
• Business ecosystem

SARAL Index: Significance

The SARAL Index aims to encourage all the states to assess the initiatives taken so far and to see what they can do better to improve their solar rooftop ecosystem. This initiative will help the states channelize investments that will eventually help in the growth of the sector. It is also likely to create a more conducive environment for solar rooftop installations, encourage investment and accelerate growth of the sector.

Background

The Union Renewable Energy Ministry has set the target of achieving 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power will be operational by March 2022 and 40 GW is expected to come from grid-connected solar rooftops.

Hence, to achieve the set rooftop solar targets, the MNRE has developed the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–SARAL, which evaluates the states on the basis of their attractiveness for rooftop development.

SARAL is the first of its kind index, which provides a comprehensive overview of state-level measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment.