Here is a renewable energy policy roundup from central, state and government agencies in India for the month of January 2017.

• Telangana and Assam Join UDAY Program

The Indian states of Telangana and Assam became the 19^th and 20^th signatory states of the Ujwal DISCOM (distribution company) Assurance Yojana (UDAY) program. These states are expected to gain a net benefit of ~Rs.61.16 billion (~$895.8 million) and ~Rs.16.63 billion (~$243.6 million).

• MNRE Issues Wind Data Sharing Policy

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued wind data sharing policy to facilitate sharing of wind power potential data.

• Tamil Nadu Joins UDAY Program

Tamil Nadu joined the UDAY program on January 9, 2017, becoming the 21^st state to join the program. Distribution company debt of Rs.304.2 billion (~$4.48 billion) will be taken over by the state government.

• To Spur Rooftop Solar Growth, MNRE Announces an Incentive of Rs.3.75 million (~$55,000)/MW for DISCOMs

For expansion of rooftop solar, the MNRE announced financial assistance in the form of grants to distribution companies (DISCOMs) of up to Rs.3.75 million (~$55,000)/MW for rooftop solar installations.

• CERC Discusses Scope of Energy Storage

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) released a white paper on energy storage. The white paper discusses the need and scope of energy storage systems and targets generating discussion among the stakeholders for the same.

• GERC Issues 2017 Draft Regulations for Solar and Wind

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has issued draft regulations for solar and wind power for 2017, with the objective of facilitating large-scale grid integration of solar and wind generating stations.

• Karnataka’s Solar Installation Target Revised to 6,000 MW by March 2021

Amendments to Karnataka Solar Policy 2014-2021 were announced. The solar installation target has been changed from 2,000 MW to 6,000 MW in March 2021. The changes were made to reflect the new tariff policy and targets fixed for the state by the MNRE.