Roof-top solar power production, which is fed back to the electricity grid in the city, will alleviate the power deficit that dogs the State, announces the government’s solar policy.
Though this idea was to be incentivised by paying producers for the power generated, National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS), an autonomous research institute, seems to be forced to “charitably” give away the electricity generated through their solar panels.
The institute has been pumping an average, 3,000 units of power (around 4.7kW) every month into the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) grid for the past eight months, but is yet to be paid for it. Calculated at Rs. 7.2 per unit (as per solar policy), the dues amount to around Rs. 21,600 per month. “We were told by the electricity company that we would not be paid because ours is a ‘model’ project,” said Dilip R. Ahuja, professor at NIAS, on Thursday at a programme to release a report on solar and wind energy.
NIAS had installed solar panels on the terrace of most of their buildings in the five-acre campus last July. “We use grid electricity only in the night to light up the hostels… Within six years, we’ll recover the investment,” said Prof. Ahuja.
‘Fresh application needed’
L. Lakshmipathy, Bescom’s nodal officer for the Solar Rooftop Photovoltaic (SRTPV) system project, said the installation was before the solar policy was announced in November 2014. “Bescom can consider their case once the institute submits a fresh application,” he said. K. Ravikumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, promised to look into the issue.
