Nagpur: Following widespread opposition to Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (MERC’s) draft solar rooftop policy, the commission has extended the date for filing objections till November 25 from November 18.
MERC proposes to replace net metering by gross, which will make solar rooftop unviable. It proposes that consumers who consume up to 300 units per month will be net metered. Above that, it will be gross metering.
If the consumption is over 300 units, then MSEDCL will buy the extra unit generated by the consumer at the rate of Rs3.64 per unit while the consumer will have to pay for the units above 300 at MSEDCL tariff. After taking fixed charges into account, this comes to Rs11.18 per unit or more.
Pratap Hogade, president of Maharashtra Veej Grahak Sanghatana (MVGS), said that very few consumers whose usage was less than 300 units per month go for solar rooftop. “If MERC’s policy is approved, then solar energy generation will come to a standstill in the state,” he said.
Hogade said that the consumers installed solar panels on their space, bore the cost of panels and maintenance. “How can MSEDCL be the owner of units generated by such consumers? Why should we be forced to sell power to it at a rate determined by the commission?” he added.
The power expert said that on one hand central government was promoting solar energy to reduce greenhouse emissions and on the other, MERC was ensuring that consumers do not go in for solar rooftop.
A source in MSEDCL said that the discom officials had requested MERC to discourage solar rooftop. “All the paying consumers are switching over to solar rooftop due to huge difference in our and solar tariff. If all such consumers go solar, our tariff structure will collapse and we will be forced to increase the tariff for subsidized consumers like farmers, small residential consumers, etc,” he added.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
