The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) became the latest agency to announce draft regulations for deviation charges of solar and wind power generation in the state. These regulations are designed to help maintain stability and security of the grid when integrating both solar and wind.

According to the draft regulations, the PSERC will impose charges on developers and procurers for missing their power supply targets – both under-supplying and over-supplying.

This makes Punjab the fifth state after Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Haryana to issue regulations for the forecasting, scheduling, and deviation settlement of solar and wind generation.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Punjab has large-scale installed capacity of 793 MW and pipeline capacity of 221 MW.

These regulations will apply to all wind and solar energy generators in Punjab of minimum 5 MW capacity connected to the transmission/and distribution system within the state, including those connected through pooling sub-stations, and using the power generated for self-consumption or sale within or outside the state.

The commercial arrangements specified in these regulations, and the related provisions regarding deviation charges and penalty will come into force six months after date of publication in the Official Gazette.

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) is also in the process of drafting similar regulations.

Access to quality solar irradiance data and accurate generation estimates are becoming very important as states are announcing deviation charges one after the other. Project developers need to know how much energy will be generated, both the over- and under-estimation of generation capability can lead to losses.