Paying high price for external electricity, but not for solar: KSEB with stepmotherly attitude towards solar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSEB pays only Rs 2.79 per unit of rooftop solar power. It pays Rs 4.34 per unit for electricity from outside. Yet KSEB is turning its back on low-cost solar. The new rules set the tariff at Rs 3.08 for existing solar producers and Rs 2.79 for new producers. This has been stayed by the High Court. The regulatory commission's condition is that the average price of electricity purchased from outside should be paid for solar power.

KSEB's next slap at solar producers was by shifting the settlement time for the transfer of solar power 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 31st of each year. As a result, prosumers have their banked units settled 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 energy consumed from the grid during those peak summer months. The excess electricity will be from KSEB. When the settlement was in October, the surplus from the following months could have been used in the summer.

Common man cannot afford the price of electricity from outside

The Regulatory Commission claims that electricity was purchased from outside at a rate of Rs 4.34 per unit last year due to the mismanagement of KSEB. Solar producers will make a profit if this price is given to the Rooftop Solar Project. However, the Commission says that the rate of electricity purchased from outside at an additional price is a liability for ordinary consumers and cannot be paid for with solar. The liability of consumers is not talked about when the cost of purchasing electricity from outside at an additional price is included in the tariff and surcharge.

Jameskutty Thomas, a native of Kochi, and V Sureshkumar, Mohan Varghese and T Sabu, natives of Thiruvananthapuram, have filed a complaint with the Regulatory Commission against the low tariff for solar electricity. A public hearing will be held on this on December 3.

Required: 33,218 million units

Annual electricity requirement of the state- 33,218 million units

Hydropower generation- 7549.29 million units

Available through rooftop solar: 1246- 2044 million units

Bought from outside- remaining 25,442.56 million units