Rooftop Solar PV in Karnataka

 Grid tied Solar PV is being encouraged by MNRE and ESCOMs. This will reduce the cost of Energy Purchase to DISCOMs from State Owned Transco & Gencos & IPP's at agreed purchase rate. This will encourage the House owner to use more power during Sun Lit day time and economise his consumption pattern. 

During evening  peak hours loads will reduce on the system due to economy in usage. Net metering will benefit the consumer in reducing his energy bill during day time. Excess energy generated during Billing Cycle will be compensated by Discom at agreed rate cost for Energy generation. 

When Solar Energy is popularised to cover more than 50% of AEH consumers excess energy will be pumped to discom  LT/ HT grid. Available energy for the DISCOM will be less of Technical losses in Service mains, Transformer & Ht lines. 

KERC  is studying the issue in details looking in to the effect of retail decentralised generation at retail utility end.

 Dear Rathanbabu,

Happy to receive  mail and suggestions to make solar roof top more popular in Karnataka. I have a few suggestions to make.

1) KW sizing of home solar pv should be based on actual yearly power consumption in the home minus 10 % to account for home "Energy Efficiency" measures like use of LEds/ 5 star fridge etc. Say you are using 400 units per month in 4 summer months & 300 units per month in rest of the year then your annual consumption will be 1600 plus 2400 = 4000 units - 400 units =3600 units.This requires about 2.4 kw as each kw of solar pv is stated to give 1400 to 1600 units per year in Karnataka. May be 2.5 kw ( or 3 kw max ) would be sufficient.

[It should not happen that some one who has money  installs 10 kw solar pv. & sells back  power to Escom particularly when purchase cost of solar power is high, as already it has happened in some cases.This bigger sizing of solar roof top pv may overload the service main / distribution network & even DT if several people in the area adopt this concept preventing others to come in. Please think over this.]

2) Investments made for solar roof top pv can come under 80 C ( max Rs 1.5 lakhs) instead of an additional expenditure for solar coming under 80c so that govt. does not loose its income tax.

3) Billing can be worked  "month on month  basis" . If Consumer has drawn net power from Grid ( his home consumption minus his generation in the month plus Extra net generation carried from earlier months) and  accounting can be from April to March ( consumer to pay fixed charges etc  also monthly).Net  power drawn in the month to be billed on 'average cost of supply ( no slab rates applicable for solar pv roof top consumers) as is being done now as they give power in afternoon and draw it during night peak hours forcing ESCOMs to buy costly power from grid & supply to him ) for net power drawn in the month. If in the month consumer has supplied extra power from Solar Pv it has to be carried forward and trued up at the end of the year. Escoms to pay  to consumer for net power exported to grid at agreed tariff at the year end. 

4)Electricity Tax rebate for solar Pv generation is not justified, as govt has to support ESCOMs for network up gradation/ low cost supply to agriculture / BJ schemes etc.    

Think it over & get back to me.

Yours) Vsrao