Jammu & Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) is expected to release a policy on net metering for grid-connected rooftop solar PV power projects. The projects will range from 1 kW up to a maximum of 500 kW, with or without battery back-up support. Relevant state authorities will have the right to undertake rooftop solar projects above 500 kW capacity through alternative mechanisms. The power purchase agreements (PPAs) will be signed for a 25-year period.

The development is in line with the issuance of draft regulations on net metering for grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems by Jammu & Kashmir State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JKSERC), and the solar installation target of 450 MW solar by 2022 set for Jammu & Kashmir by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The policy will be effective from the date of its notification in the Gazette of India.

This policy will apply to the distribution company (DISCOM) and consumers of Jammu & Kashmir and will remain in force unless repealed or substituted with a new policy. The DISCOM will allow discriminatory net metering arrangement on first-come-first serve basis for both self-owned and third-party owned rooftop solar PV systems so long as the total capacity (in kW) does not exceed the target capacity determined. The incentives from the J&K Solar Power Policy-2013 will also apply to solar power projects to be developed under this policy. Developers can also benefit from subsidies provided by the MNRE.

According to a JAKEDA official, seven pilot projects totaling 153 kW have been commissioned in the state till date. The MNRE has set an ambitious rooftop target of 54 MW in the current financial year, however JAKEDA will be able to achieve only 20 percent of the targeted 54 MW.

Image credit: By Vinayaraj (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons