No net meters for consumers; KSEB makes a mess of Solar subsidy project

Thursday 23 November, 2023 | 11:12 PM READ MALAYALAM VERSION

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: "Install the Purapura solar project, see your electricity bill reduced by half and you may also end up selling electricity back to KSEB" This was the campaign call that made many people fall for the project. However, with the passage of time, not everyone is happy with how the project is running in Kerala. The three-phase net meter to feed surplus generation to the KSEB grid has been out of stock for months. In effect, excess electricity is wasted without being sold.

KSEB pays Rs 2.69 per unit to households. Earlier it was Rs 3.22 but now considering the financial strait, the price has been reduced.

If you want a meter along with a new connection, customers should buy it from outside for Rs.6900. Normally, in the Purapura solar project, the meter is given for free, but the customers are now forced to buy from the market or else should enter into an endless wait until KSEB gets the stock.

If the meter is bought from outside, KSEB is not ready to take responsibility in case of any errors. Consumers will have to bear the brunt of the reduction in electricity transactions due to net meter error.

Purapura solar project started in 2020 with a 40 per cent central subsidy to attract domestic consumers

1.05 lakh people registered on e-Kiran portal (ekiran.kseb.in). Installed in 35,000 homes and 600 government institutions

133 MW of electricity has been generated so far. The target is 200 MW in the first phase. You can apply till 23 March 2024

Gujarat has the highest Purapura solar production in the country- 1710.41 MW. Kerala is in the second position

A three-kilowatt plant is usually installed in a house and there is a need for Rs 1.90 lakhs of investment. The subsidy is 40 percent up to 3 kW. A three-kilowatt plant can generate 12 units of electricity per day. A maximum of 6-8 units of electricity per day is sufficient for a family of five. The rest of the electricity will be purchased by the board and the amount will be paid to the consumers every year.