CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has framed regulations for solar power generation plants and fixed tariff in the range of Rs 3.10-`3.61 per unit for capacities in the range of 10 kW to 999 kW.
The new regulations target domestic consumers with rooftop and ground-mounted models with net metering arrangement; industrial and other category consumers with rooftop and ground-mounted models with net billing or net feed-in arrangement; and HT consumers and generators with ground-mounted models with gross metering arrangement.
Under net metering for domestic consumers, energy supplied to grid from rooftop solar systems is deducted from the energy consumed for own use, to arrive at the net power imported to grid and consumed units. The net imported units are billed on the basis of retail tariff. If the power exported to grid is more than the import, the net power export shall be credited and carried over to next billing cycle, according to TNERC.
TNERC also stated that domestic consumers who have provided net feed-in facility under the 2019 order, shall have the option to migrate to the new net metering system, while LT consumers are not eligible for gross metering.
The gross metering mechanism involves direct sale of units produced by the solar system to the grid and is accounted for at feed-in tariff. The advantage of gross meterng is that any individual who owns a land can set up a solar plant with gross metering. As eligible load begins from 151 kW (up to maximum of 999 kW), those with small portions of land can install solar plants with moderate investment. The solar plant can be connected to the nearby HT feeder with limited expenditure. No separate line up to the substation is needed to be laid.
The commission has introduced time-of-day (ToD) premium tariff during high-demand periods, to promote and incentivize investments in solar energy storage systems. The ToD solar energy feed-in tariffs will be higher than the above tariff by 20 per cent and shall apply for evening peak hours (6-9 pm). This is being done to encourage consumers to install energy storage facilities, according to a release.
Energy supplied to be deducted from bill
Under net metering for domestic consumers, energy supplied to grid from rooftop solar systems is deducted from the energy consumed for own use, to arrive at the net power imported to grid and consumed units. The net imported units are billed on the basis of retail tariff