The Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam (JVVNL) has issued an order allowing consumers to install hybrid inverters alongside their rooftop solar systems under the net metering, gross net metering, and virtual net metering frameworks.

The order highlights the growing importance of battery energy storage systems for grid stability, peak-load management, and power-quality improvement.

The state distribution company (DISCOM) said that, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) guidelines, rooftop solar installations may include additional components such as battery storage, small wind hybrids, and solar tracker systems.

However, it clarified that the central financial assistance (CFA) calculations will continue to be based on the solar module capacity installed in the rooftop systems.

JVVNL also noted that Rajasthan’s ‘Grid-Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Generating Systems, 2025’ amended regulations recognize battery storage as part of renewable energy generating systems.

The installations must comply with the safety standards specified in JPR5-1219.

In November last year, JVVNL increased the tariff payable to residential consumers with rooftop solar systems under a net metering arrangement to ₹3.26 (~$0.036)/kWh, an increase of 20% from ₹2.71(~$0.03)/kWh. For consumers with a net billing arrangement, the tariff is now ₹3.65 (~$0.04)/kWh, a 20% increase from ₹3.04(~$0.034)/kWh.

Earlier, MNRE had clarified that net billing, virtual, and group net metering will also be treated on a par with net metering provisions under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers List-II for solar cells. It said virtual and group net metering are models of net metering that cover a group of consumers in the same category, or a single consumer with multiple service connections. It also said that net billing is a hybrid of net and gross metering.

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