Kerala: Solar energy ignored, overpayments for external power continue

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : KSEB pays only ₹2.79 per unit for rooftop solar power. It pays ₹4.34 per unit for electricity purchased from outside. Yet, KSEB is turning a blind eye to low-cost solar. According to new regulations, the tariff is set at ₹3.08 for existing solar producers and ₹2.79 for new producers. The High Court has stayed this. The Regulatory Commission stipulates that the average price of electricity purchased from outside must be paid for solar power. KSEB further slapped solar producers with a blow by changing the settlement time for solar power transfers from October to March 30. The annual settlement for any net surplus energy (banked units) now occurs at the end of March, specifically on March 31 of every year. As a result, prosumers’ banked units settle at the Average Pooled Power Purchase Cost (APPC) at the end of March, leaving no banked units for use during the typically high-consumption months of April and May. Without banked units, prosumers are forced to pay higher tariffs for any excess power consumed from the grid during those peak summer months. The excess power will be from KSEB. When the agreement was reached in October, the surplus from the following months could be used during the summer. The common man cannot afford the price of external power. The Regulatory Commission claims that last year, due to KSEB’s mismanagement, power was purchased from outside at a rate of Rs 4.34 per unit. If this price is passed on to rooftop solar projects, solar producers will make a profit. However, the Commission states that the excess power purchased from outside at this rate is a liability for ordinary consumers and cannot be repaid by solar. When tariffs and surcharges include the cost of purchasing power from outside at an additional price, the liability of consumers is not discussed. A public hearing on this will be held on December 3. Requirement: 33,218 million units State’s annual power requirement – 33,218 million units Hydropower generation – 7549.29 million units Available from rooftop solar: 1246- 2044 million units Purchased from outside – Remaining 25,442.56 million units