The bidirection meter that will calculate the final bill after net metering should be a smart prepayment meter
The Union Ministry of Power may allow net metering to the prosumer for up to 500 kilowatts (kW) or up to the sanctioned load, according to the amendments proposed to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2021 last month. This is a significant increase from the December 2020 draft that allowed for net metering only up to 10 kW.
A prosumer is someone who produces solar energy and also consumes electricity generated by power companies through the grid.
The new draft contains regulations governing gross metering. This refers to a mechanism where the total solar energy generated from a grid-interactive rooftop Solar system and the energy consumed are accounted separately.
Surplus energy generated by the rooftop solar panels is fed into the grid. The prosumer is compensated for this energy by a deduction of equivalent units from their electricity bill through a system called net metering.
The energy imported from the grid and the energy exported to the grid are valued at two different tariffs
Changes from the last draft
Source: Author
The ministry has defined the following in the latest draft:
Should you opt for net-metering or net-billing?
Source: Author
The bi-directional meter that will ‘net’ billed for the energy consumed after net-off, can be a prepaid / smart prepaid meter. Through this, the consumer will have the option to pay for grid electricity after the generation of the bill, or in advance.
A prosumer should enjoy the same rights as that of a consumer. The consumer grievance redress forum should include prosumer and consumer representations.
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