If the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s proposal for gross metering of domestic solar power production units comes into effect, the producers will get returns higher than what they are getting, said a senior official of Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd.
Vidya Rani, Assistant General Manager, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL), on Thursday said under gross metering, the entire power produced would be accounted for payment to the producer by electricity supply companies. “Now, net metering is in vogue, wherein producer’s own consumption at home will be deducted from the solar power produced while making the payment,” she said.
KERC recently initiated a dialogue on the subject and might take a decision soon, she said. Domestic producers who had not got subsidy for installation, were now being paid Rs. 9.56 per unit power supplied to the grid and those who had got subsidy were being paid Rs. 7.20 per unit. “But, this is after deducting the number of units consumed by the producer under net metering,” Ms. Rani said.
KREDL has formed a special purpose vehicle, Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Ltd., along with Solar Energy Corporation of India to produce 2,000 MW solar power in Tumakuru district.
About 11,000 acres of dry farm land had been taken on 30-year lease for the project even as KSPDCL was planning to set up five more such parks, Ms. Rani said. Tenders had been invited to construct eight 220/66 kV power pooling stations to evacuate from Pavagada Solar Park, she added.
This apart, anyone with minimum 100 acres of land might set up a solar park with the State government providing a subsidy of Rs. 1 crore for one such park.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has come out with Surya Mitra skill development programme in association with National Institute of Solar Technology to hone the skills of diploma/ ITI holders in solar energy. About 2,500 Surya Mitras would be trained in Karnataka at five centres while the programme has already started at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Renewable Energy, Bengaluru. Three months free residential training would be offered on installation, servicing and maintenance of solar power plants, she added.
