ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS AND EQUITY ASSESSMENT
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Model_OrganizationalReviewPartII_4A.docxSmriti Mohta
Civic Analytics
Boosting Consumer Awareness for Rooftop Solar Installations in Delhi
Organizational Review Part II— Assessment of Race, Equity and Culture
INTRODUCTION
The unbundling of the Delhi Dept. of Power into partly privatized successor companies has resulted in many positive reforms in the power situation in Delhi. These companies have emerged as dynamic performers that have effectively handled the power generation, transmission and distribution works in the city.
With all the works outsourced, the Delhi Dept. of Power now exists merely to act as a mediator between its children companies and the GNCTD/ Central Government, facilitating revenue collection and necessary approvals.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ASSESSMENT
As such, the Delhi Dept. of Power supports the vision of transitioning to renewable sources of energy. In this regards, they are open to collaborations and adoption of innovative solutions.
However, its passive role over the years has led the department to adopt a culture of complacency. Being a sub-division of the Dept. of Power, the EE&REM center is also marked by the same inefficiencies, some of which are listed below:
· Bureaucracy : The focus is not on the results, but on internal processes which are slow and long. For instance, despite the positivity around solar transition, it took the Delhi Cabinet 9 months to approve the Delhi Solar Policy.
· Pyramid based hierarchical structure: The department has long approval channels that are not well listed out. A proposal for website updates by an external partner team was abandoned after running through various departments for approval, because at every point they were told to reach out to someone else.
· Lethargy and Lack of Accountability : The department is reactive, not proactive. Despite being responsible for marketing and raising public awareness, the EE&REM center did little to promote solar energy causing frustration among installation vendors.
· Personal and political agendas : Two different parties rule Delhi, the BJP-led Central Government and the AAP-led State Government. The leaders of these parties are not aligned with each other, which often hinders progress.
ASSESSMENT OF ATTENTION DEDICATED TO END-USER COMMUNITIES
The various innovative schemes and incentives of the Delhi Solar Policy were formulated keeping inclusivity in mind. However, as implementation began, these provisions were found to favor the higher-income households of the city.
Even with subsidies, the significant upfront costs of RTS installations have remained a barrier for the lower-income households. To reach this segment, the Dept. of Power and EE&REM Center are experimenting with different approaches such as community-owned-community-shared models and single-point-delivery-systems that cater to diverse and distributed spaces in group housing communities.
Following vendors’ frustration on lack of public awareness and promotions, the EE&REM center has also personally reached out to some residential consumers in Delhi. This has led to the installation/sanction of 16 MW projects. However, the practice was a one-time initiative with the help of DISCOMS and partner programs.
ISSUES OF BIAS AND EQUITY
Despite the efforts to provide equal access to solar energy and impartial implementation of the policy, the following issues of equity and bias continue to persist:
Access to Finance -
· For low-income group housing societies that show interest, solar loans are inaccessible as banks refuse to lend in the absence of a collective mortgage or collateral.
· The policy has little provision of financing options for people living in informal settlements or slums, which accounts for approximately 10% of Delhi’s population. Many are therefore excluded from the solar transition, reinforcing India’s stark levels of inequality.
Digital Illiteracy and Unequal Access to Information-
· About 40% of Delhi’s population is digitally illiterate. This mainly comprises of the elderly, women and low-income group, who either do not have access to internet/gadgets or do not know how to access digital information. With registration procedures and efforts of information dissemination largely online, this group remains adversely affected.
Bias in Procurement Processes-
· The Government tends to favor the lowest bid (L1), causing some vendors to quote extremely low prices, hence distorting the market. Such low bidding prices are unsustainable for other vendors who suspect employment of unfair means by the Government, leading to growing mistrust in the system.
IDENTIFICATION OF KEY TRAINING NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE DEPARTMENT/ORGANIZATION’S CAPACITY
To raise public awareness and widen outreach, one key area that the Delhi Dept. of Power and EE&REM Center must build upon is Information Technology. In this regards, building of IT cadre in the department is recommended. For leveraging the power of data and technology, the employees must be trained on the following aspects:
· Data Quality Assurance: Data collection, profiling and necessary expertise to analyze the data for quality issues.
· Custom-built Data Analytics Solutions:
· RTS specific digital solutions such as data dashboards/ mobile apps that focus on citizen engagement and information dissemination.
· Targeted marketing campaigns using social media data, SMS applications etc. for better outreach.
· Knowledge Management and Storage: Building knowledge repository to collect findings from projects across departments and identifying best practices for future use; effective storage practices for future retrieval.
For improving internal processes and functioning of the department, the employees must be trained on the following:
· Culture Reform: Training on management skills, collaborative attitude, goal setting and performance measurement etc.
· Change Management: Assessing impact of adopting new processes and subsequent changes in organizational roles and responsibilities.
EXISTING AND PROPOSED PARTNERSHIPS
Through the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Delhi Dept. of Power and EE&REM Center have collaborated with many international organizations for implementation of Delhi Solar Policy such as the World Bank, EU-India Cooperation and GIZ Germany.
While these collaborations have been important for financial assistance and knowledge transfer, a partnership closer home with the prestigious and world-renowned university system of IITs, particularly IIT-D (Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi) is recommended.
In 2019 & 2020, IIT-D has partnered with the Government for the following projects:
· At City level - with East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EMDC) for development of tech solutions to clean three blocked sewage drains in Delhi; demonstration of social and behavioral changes in waste management.
· At Central level - with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to set up a centre of excellence for use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data-analytics in highway construction, traffic and safety management.
IITs are highly regarded across the country for education and research in engineering and technical fields. A partnership with IIT-D for development of data-driven solutions will help the Government tap into the latest technology, world-class infrastructure and brilliant minds of the country. Moreover, since IITs are a symbol of pride, a partnership may also help the Delhi Dept. of Power and EE&REM Center regain the lost trust of citizens of Delhi.
POTENTIAL FUTURE STATE OF THE DEPARTMENT
The Delhi Dept. of Power and EE&REM Center have a vision but lack an enabling environment. The absence of leadership and management skills, coupled with complacency and lethargy have been detrimental to solar adoption in the city.
To best advance the identified data solutions, the ideal functioning of the department is envisioned as:
· Consisting of an enabling environment where senior leadership displays commitment and ownership. They also focus on constant improvement of processes, functions and outcomes of the department.
· Consisting of a dynamic mid-level management that helps make decision-making processes quick and smooth, while ensuring that the employees below them are motivated and directly accountable for their roles.
· Open to change and innovation.
· Restructured to have a flat organizational structure below the mid-level management for elimination of long workflow channels.
· Consisting of employees who are responsible, pro-active and results oriented, which is enabled by performance based incentives.
REFERENCES
· Personal Interview, Mr. Namit Arora, Lead, Policy Drafting Committee for Delhi Solar Policy 2016
· Personal Interview, Mr. Syed Yasir Ahmed, Project Supervisor, RTS solutions under Delhi Solar Policy
· Ross G., Andrew S., Andy G., and Lucy O.; Affordable and clean energy for all: Lessons on rooftop solar from Delhi, India, 2018
· Dwarkeshwar D.; Understanding the barriers to the diffusion of rooftop solar: A case study of Delhi (India), 2020
