'Sunstroke' on Kerala's rooftop solar consumers
Not just world superpowers, even developing nations have wholeheartedly espoused solar as a renewable energy source. There are many large industrial enterprises and large institutions in India that operate entirely using solar energy. A worthy model is in our backyard - the Nedumbassery International Airport. However, for some time now, KSEB has been committing a terrible fraud by not only turning its back on the inexhaustible source of solar energy, but also backstabbing consumers who generate solar energy through rooftop solar panels, giving the rest to the electricity board.
The board incurs some basic expenses like electric poles, wires, and fuses to supply electricity from KSEB's electricity distribution network to a house. Consumers pay the fixed charge in the electricity bill every time as part of that expense. How will this fixed charge apply to rooftop solar panels, which are installed directly by the consumer at their own expense without KSEB incurring any installation costs? The Electricity Regulatory Commission yesterday rejected the demand to waive this fixed charge for rooftop solar producers. That is, rooftop solar producers will have to pay the fixed charge just like ordinary electricity consumers!
The justification by KSEB is strange, nonetheless. The homes that generate and use solar electricity also have a traditional electricity connection. In the net meter system installed to measure the production and consumption of solar electricity, there is no technical system to separate and calculate the 'inflow and outflow' of solar electricity and regular electricity! Therefore, the fixed charge cannot be avoided! Is it the consumer's fault that the meter does not have that technical facility? While the central government is promoting solar panels by providing a 40 per cent subsidy for the use of solar electricity, KSEB is finding ways to stop consumers from opting for the popular solar energy resources.
KSEB is already charging a low rate for the electricity that solar consumers feed into the electricity grid. At the same time, consumers need to pay a higher rate for the electricity usage during the night when electricity consumption is high!
As per insider reports, KSEB is planning yet another hit job on solar rooftops this October. This reform is a combination of various blows, including requiring consumers to install a battery system to store solar power and limiting net meters.
Despite being in a debt trap, borrowing electricity from outside, KSEB’s insistence to impede the rise of solar power stems from the fear of losing the crores of commission. It seems like the solar power producers will have to form an organisation and go on strike to make KSEB end their devious game. That day won’t be long.