Even as efforts are underway to ensure major capacity addition through conventional energy sources like thermal power plants, the Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to lay equal emphasis on promoting solar rooftop systems.
The new solar policy released by the Government focussed on rooftop systems on public buildings, domestic, commercial and industrial establishments on gross or net metering basis and the consumers are free to choose either net or gross meter option for sale of energy to the distribution companies. Metering facility will be extended to all eligible developers who intend to set up solar photovoltaic plants on their premises.
The policy also envisages permission to group of persons or societies to set up solar power projects and they would be treated as collective generation for supply to households of each society/group member. The Discoms would deduct the energy generated by such groups from the energy consumed by individual service connections and the balance (either excess or lower) would be billed on net metering basis.
No distribution losses and charges would be collected from the group/society/individuals by the Discoms and eligible developers allowed to avail relevant subsidies and incentives from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Projects with a capacity of upto 1,000 KWp will be permitted at a single location and eligible developers who wish to avail the metering facility should apply online to Discoms either through their respective websites or through designated Mee Seva centres.
The finer modalities of implementation of rooftop policy including metering, billing, payments and other technical aspects would be issued by the APEPDCL within 30 days from the issue of the policy i.e., February 12 which would be followed by other Discoms in the due course.
The Government had also decided to promote solar manufacturing facility that could help in developing solar eco system and support job creation potential in the State. Accordingly, the new solar manufacturing facilities and equipment and ancillaries related to solar projects would be given incentives like priority allotment of Government lands in solar parks on long term lease and exemption of electricity duty for a period of 10 years to the firms venturing to invest in manufacturing.
