Odisha announces net metering system for rooftop solar

Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has included a net metering system to the rooftop solar power plant installed in August 2017 to help consumers save on electricity costs, local news channel Odishatv has reported.

Ashok Chodhary, Deputy Director of Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) explained that the electricity generated by the rooftop solar can either be self-consumed or exported to the grid. The billing is calculated based on the import and export of electricity.

As per the OERC guidelines, any person or government institution can install rooftop solar after signing the agreement with the state. The amount of electricity produced from the plant should be a maximum 90% of the total electricity consumed by the consumer annually.

However, placing such an investment is not easy. As the cost of the power plant beyond the subsidy amount is INR 50,000/kW, consumers have demanded a hike in the subsidy.

In addition, according to one consumer, if any excess amount of electricity has been exported to the distributing agency before March 31, they cannot lay claim to it and it will be considered free.

OERC has installed 199 solar power plants under the first phase of the project, of which 126 are in Bhubaneswar and 73 in Cuttack under a 4 MW pilot project.

“Presently, the plants in Bhubaneshwar have been installed in our buildings and the Secretariat; later it will be installed phase-wise in other buildings,” said Information Officer of OERC, Purabi Das.