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Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Criticizes MERC for Denying Petitioner Relief

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					</table>Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://herc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERC</a>) has provided a series of clarifications on the difficulties in implementing certain sections of the HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2023.
It was responding to a petition filed by Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (<a href="https://www.uhbvn.org.in/web/portal/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UHBVNL</a>).
Applicability of imbalance charges
The petitioner raised concerns about the application of imbalance charges. While the HERC has provided clarity on the inapplicability of reliability charges for open access consumers, questions persist regarding the status of imbalance charges set to compensate power distribution companies (DISCOMs) on account of the unscheduled injection/drawal made by the solar power generators.
Commission’s view
The Commission stated that while reliability charges will not apply for open access consumers, imbalance charge is applicable and will be governed by the DSM Regulations or Open Access Regulations.
Applicability of wheeling and transmission charges on captive solar projects 
Regulation 68 of the HERC (Terms and Conditions for the Determination of Tariff from Renewable Energy Sources, Renewable Purchase Obligation, and Renewable Energy Certificate) Regulations, 2021, states that irrespective of other regulations set by the Commission, wheeling and transmission charges will be exempted throughout the project&#8217;s lifespan from the commissioning date.
This exemption applies to all captive solar power projects that have applied for registration with the Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency, acquired land (either through purchase or lease for thirty years), and invested a minimum of ₹10 million (~$120,144) /MW in equipment and machinery by February 13, 2019.
However, under the Green OA Regulations, 2023, charges applicable to all green energy open access consumers encompass transmission and wheeling charges.
Commission’s view
The Commission clarified that the exemption of transmission and wheeling charges on captive solar plants commissioned on or before February 13, 2019, provided under HERC RE Regulations 2021, will continue to be made applicable.
Timing of peak load hours
Regulation 7(4) of the Green Open Access Regulations, 2023, dictates the conditions for banking and drawal of power for renewable captive projects owned at least 26% by a single captive user. While banking is permitted throughout the billing cycle, the withdrawal of banked power is restricted during peak load hours, aligning with the Time-of-Day (ToD) tariff approved by the Commission.
For the 2023-24 financial year, the ToD tariff designates peak load hours from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, applicable to consumers opting for ToD/ToU Tariff/Night-time concessional tariff from UHBVN between November 2023 and March 2024.
However, for the imposition of Peak Load Energy Charges (PLEC), general instructions consider peak load hours from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.
Commission’s view
The Commission said that it is expressly provided in the HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations that peak load hours will be as mentioned in the ToD tariff approved by the Commission.
Adjustment of banked energy
Regulation 7(5) of the Green OA Regulations, 2023, stipulates that renewable power adjustment for Green OA Consumers will be based on a first-charge basis in the order of energy consumption. The daily calculation of banked energy and energy drawal from the grid is conducted at the end of each day in a given month.
However, Regulation 7(1) emphasizes that banked energy cannot proceed to the next billing cycle. Any unutilized banked energy at the end of the billing cycle will lapse without any compensation, and the renewable energy generating station is entitled to renewable energy certificates for the lapsed banked energy.
The petition sought to know whether the banking is counted daily or in 15-minute slots. If it is the latter, the energy banked on the last day of the billing cycle can be utilized from the very next time slot of the same day.
Commission’s view
The Haryana regulator said that HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations that the banking will be counted on a daily basis for the monthly account, and the unutilized banked energy at the end of the billing cycle will lapse.
Injection /drawal of green energy 
Regulation 4 outlines the eligibility criteria for green energy open access, specifying that the open access should be for a minimum of twelve time blocks of 15-minute intervals during a day, and the consumer should not change the quantum of power consumed through open access within these time blocks.
The petitioner raised the following questions:
<ul>
<li>Whether the eligibility condition for a constant drawal of power for twelve-time blocks should be evaluated based on scheduled or actual drawal through green energy open access.</li>
<li>If the twelve-time blocks are continuous, whether the consumer must draw continuously for only 3 hours per day or if this requirement should be repeated for every change in drawal.</li>
<li>Would penalties be imposed on green open access consumers failing to meet the criteria, and if so, the conditions for imposing such penalties, including whether scheduled drawal or actual drawal data, should be considered.</li>
<li>Whether failure to comply with the eligibility condition renders consumers ineligible for benefits outlined in the Green OA Regulations, 2023, and if they would still be entitled to benefits specified in the HERC (Terms and Conditions for Determination of Tariff from Renewable Energy Sources, Renewable Purchase Obligation and Renewable Energy Certificate) Regulations, 2021.</li>
<li>Whether the proviso applies to the drawal of banked energy, and if so, whether the consumer should keep its total drawal (real-time + drawal from banking) continuous for twelve-time blocks or if both drawals should be considered separately for eligibility.</li>
<li>Clarification is sought on whether the proviso applies to solar/wind-based captive consumers where power injection is not static.</li>
</ul>
Commission’s view
The Commission said that the schedule drawal is to be considered for evaluating the eligibility condition for constant drawal of power for twelve-time blocks of 15-minute intervals.
It clarified that the condition of drawing continuous open access power for twelve time blocks of 15-minute intervals is applicable for the entire day and not to be repeated for change in power by a consumer in a day.
Renewable Energy Certificates 
Regulation 4 outlines the eligibility criteria for Green Energy Open Access, specifying that the open access should be for a minimum of twelve-time blocks of 15-minute intervals during a day, and the consumer should not change the quantity of power consumed through open access within these time blocks.
The petitioner sought clarifications on various aspects of this regulation:
<ul>
<li>Whether the eligibility condition for a constant drawal of power for twelve-time blocks should be evaluated based on scheduled drawal or actual drawal through Green Energy Open Access.</li>
<li>If the twelve-time blocks are continuous, clarification is sought on whether the consumer must draw continuously for only 3 hours per day or if this requirement should be repeated for every change in a drawal.</li>
<li>The petitioner asks if penalties would be imposed on Green Open Access Consumers failing to meet the criteria, and if so, the conditions for imposing such penalties, including whether scheduled drawal or actual drawal data should be considered.</li>
<li>Whether failure to comply with the eligibility condition renders consumers ineligible for benefits outlined in the Green OA Regulations, 2023, and if they would still be entitled to benefits specified in the HERC (Terms and Conditions for Determination of Tariff from Renewable Energy Sources, Renewable Purchase Obligation and Renewable Energy Certificate) Regulations, 2021.</li>
<li>Whether the proviso applies to the drawal of banked energy, and if so, clarification is sought on whether the consumer should keep its total drawal (real-time + drawal from banking) continuous for twelve-time blocks or if both drawals should be considered separately for eligibility.</li>
<li>Whether the proviso applies to Solar/Wind-based Captive consumers where power injection is not static.</li>
</ul>
Commission’s view
The Commission said that it is provided in the HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations in vogue that a green energy certificate will be issued to consumers for green energy supplied to them beyond their RPO. The clarification sought regarding their eligibility for REC is beyond the scope of HERC (Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2023
In April, Haryana <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/haryana-regulator-notifies-green-open-access-regulations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> its Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023, in line with the Union government’s green energy open access rules introduced last year.
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Haryana Regulator Clarifies Issues in Implementing Green Energy Open Access

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					</table>Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://merc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MERC</a>) has allowed Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (<a href="https://www.pcmcindia.gov.in/marathi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PCMC</a>) to procure power through open access from a waste-to-energy plant developed by Antony Lara Renewable Energy (<a href="http://www.antonylara.in/antony/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALREPL</a>) without cross-subsidy surcharges and additional surcharge.
The permission was granted per the regulation outlined in Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022 (GEOA Rules).
The Commission has acknowledged that it is in the process of amending its regulations to be in line with the GEOA Rules. During this transitional period, if any disparities arise between MERC&#8217;s existing regulations and the GEOA Rules, the latter will take precedence.
Background
PCMC has given access and license to use about 29 acres of land in Moshi, Pune, to ALREPL for designing, building, financing, and operating a material recovery plant and waste-to-energy plant up to 14 MW capacity. Based on the rankine technology, the plant uses municipal solid waste to provide energy to PCMC.
Through a 21-year power purchase agreement (PPA), PCMC plans captive use of the power generation at a tariff of ₹5 (~0.061)/kWh.
PCMC and ALREPL filed a petition urging the Commission to temporarily apply the GEOA Rules <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/no-load-limit-energy-open-access-captive-consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> in place of the state&#8217;s regulations for open access until the Commission formulates its own rules.
In May, the Ministry of Power <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/regulators-comply-green-open-access-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instructed</a> state electricity regulatory commissions to comply with the GEOA Rules and align their states&#8217; open access regulations with the notified rules.
They requested the Commission to direct the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) and other distribution licensees to follow the guidelines issued by the Government of India until the Commission formulates suitable guidelines for Maharashtra.
They also filed interlocutory applications for interim relief in line with their main prayers.
The petitioners are involved in municipal waste management, particularly waste-to-energy projects using solid municipal waste as fuel. They entered into a concession agreement for such a project, aiming to reduce garbage dumps and landfills while generating electricity to meet PCMC&#8217;s energy needs.
The petitioners claim that the GEOA Rules include provisions for waste-to-energy projects and allow consumers with contracted demand of 100 kW and above to access green energy through open access without cross-subsidy surcharges and additional surcharges.
The petitioners are seeking interim relief from the Commission to apply GEOA Rules until the
While representatives of other distribution companies did not make any submissions during the hearing, MSEDCL opposed the petitioners&#8217; request, arguing that until the regulations are amended, the relief sought cannot be granted.
Commission’s Analysis
The Commission said Section 181 of the Electricity Act, 2003 grants the state commissions the power to make regulations consistent with the Act and rules.
It pointed out that the Ministry of Power confirmed that the Green Energy Open Access Rules are subordinate legislation under the Electricity Act 2003, and all parties must comply. The 1 MW threshold mentioned in the rules is a minimum to be achieved within five years from the effective date of the Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2003, and the rules do not limit open access to only 1 MW.
The Commission further stated that it is in the process of aligning its regulations with the Green Energy Open Access Rules. While the Distribution Open Access Regulations 2016 will be amended following due process, implementing the Green Energy Open Access Rules cannot be stopped.
The Commission disagreed with MSEDCL&#8217;s submission and asserted that all parties must comply once the rules are notified. It noted that MSEDCL or other distribution licensees had raised no operational difficulties.
Any such issues can be addressed while amending the regulations, which the Commission will initiate shortly, it said, while allowing the relief sought in the petition.
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MERC Allows Green Open Access for Waste-to-Energy Producers with No Surcharges

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					</table>The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://kerc.karnataka.gov.in/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KERC</a>) has released the draft of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (Terms and Conditions for Open Access) (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2023.
These proposed amendments aim to align with Karnataka&#8217;s draft Green Energy Open Access Regulations <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/karnataka-draft-green-energy-open-access-regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> last August.
Stakeholders can submit their comments and suggestions within 30 days.
The amendments clarify that short-term and medium-term open access can be granted if accommodated within inherent design margins, power flow variations, and available transmission and distribution system capacities.
Under the proposed changes, open-access customers are categorized into short-term, medium-term, or long-term based on their duration of use of the intra-state transmission and/or distribution system.
Open access customers are categorized based on the duration they utilize the intra-state transmission and/or distribution system. The categories are as follows:
(a) Short-term open access customers: These are individuals or entities who use or plan to use open access for one year or less.
(b) Medium-term open access customers: These are individuals or entities who use or plan to use open access for more than one year but less than five years.
(c) Long-term open access customers: These are individuals or entities who use or plan to use open access for a period equal to or more than five years.
The priority for allowing open access will be decided on the following criteria:
<ul>
<li>Distribution licensee for long term</li>
<li>Other open access customers for long term</li>
<li>Distribution licensee for medium term</li>
<li>Other open access customers for medium term</li>
<li>Distribution licensee for short term</li>
<li>Other open access customers for short term</li>
</ul>
Procedure for grant of Open Access for Day-Ahead Transactions:
<ul>
<li>Application Submission Deadline: The application for day-ahead open access must be submitted to the nodal agency within three days before the scheduled date but not later than 13:00 hours on the day immediately preceding the day of the schedule.</li>
<li>Application Details: The application submitted to the nodal agency should include details such as the required capacity, planned generation or contracted power purchase, injection, and drawal points, duration of open access, peak load, average load, and an undertaking stating that there is no existing power purchase agreement for the requested capacity.</li>
<li>Application Fee: The application must be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of ₹1,000 (~$12) for each transaction. This fee can be paid in cash, through a demand draft, or via an electronic transfer to the nodal agency.</li>
<li>Grant of Approval: The nodal agency will check for system congestion and communicate the approval or denial of open access to the applicant before 15:00 hours on the day immediately preceding the day of scheduling. However, the actual operationalization of open access is subject to the payment of charges specified in the regulations and orders by the Commission before 17:00 hours on the same day.</li>
<li>Denial of Open Access: The nodal agency must provide reasons if open access to denied to the applicant.</li>
</ul>
Procedure for grant of Open Access for other transactions:
<ul>
<li>Application Submission: An intending open access customer must apply electronically with all the required particulars. The application should be submitted in the specified format, which the nodal agency determines.</li>
<li>Required Documents: The application should be accompanied by the following documents:
<ol>
<li>An undertaking stating that the generator has not entered into a PPA or any other bilateral agreement for the capacity (quantum of power) for which open access is sought.</li>
<li>Payment of a non-refundable processing fee of ₹5,000 (~$60) for long-term/medium-term open access and ₹1,000 (~$12) for short-term open access.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>Application Timing: For short-term open access, the application cannot be made earlier than two months before the power plant(s) commissioning date or its/their generating units to avoid corridor blocking.</li>
<li>Bank Guarantee (BG): For long-term/medium-term open access, the application should be accompanied by a Bank Guarantee (BG) of ten thousand rupees per MW. The BG should be kept valid and subsisting until the signing of the agreement for the wheeling of electricity. The nodal agency will encash the BG if the application is withdrawn before signing the agreement. Once the deal is signed, the BG will be returned to the applicant.</li>
<li>System Availability Assessment: The nodal agency will forward the application to the concerned licensees (ESCOMs for the drawal point and Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation and ESCOMs for the injection point) within two working days to ascertain the system availability. The concerned licensees will acknowledge the receipt of the application within the following working day.</li>
<li>Grant of Open Access: After assessing the system availability, the concerned licensees will communicate their concurrence or otherwise to the nodal agency within the specified time schedule. The agency will then communicate the grant of open access or otherwise to the applicant within three working days following the receipt of concurrence from all the licensees concerned.</li>
<li>Deemed Approval: If there is no communication from the agency within the specified time schedule, the open access applied for will be deemed to have been granted, subject to system availability.</li>
<li>Agreement for Wheeling: The open access customer must execute the agreement for the wheeling of electricity in triplicate and submit it to the nodal agency, as well as the concerned licensees, within five working days from the date of the communication of the grant or deemed grant of open access. Failure to submit the agreement within this timeframe will result in the cancellation of the granted or deemed granted open access.</li>
</ul>
System studies are waived for existing generators injecting power into the licensee&#8217;s network under a power purchase agreement or similar arrangement, provided there is no additional injection beyond the previous capacity. Similarly, consumers availing of open access are exempt from system studies if they commit to not exceeding their contract demand specified in the supply agreement with the licensee.
New generating plants seeking long–term open access and agreeing to wheeling must commission them within twelve months from the effective date of the wheeling operation, failing which the open access granted will be deemed to have been canceled.
In case of outages of generators supplying to a consumer on open access, the licensee should provide standby arrangements on payment of 125% of energy charges applicable to that consumer category as determined by the Commission in its tariff orders.
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Karnataka Proposes Changes to the Procedures for Granting Open Access Power

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					</table>The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://herc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERC</a>) ruled that distribution companies (DISCOMs) will not be allowed to impose reliability charges on green open access consumers as there is no defined clause for it in the Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023.
Distributed Solar Power Association (DISPA), Merino Industries, and Garg Spinning Mills had filed a petition seeking amendment in the provisions of the Renewable Energy Regulations 2021 to ensure it is consistent with the Ministry of Power’s Green Energy Open Access Regulations 2022.
Background
The petitioners highlighted that the Commission notified the Tariff Regulations on April 27, 2021, and the Ministry of Power’s Open Access Regulations came into effect on June 6, 2022.
As per the Electricity Act 2003, the Commission should have made regulations consistent with the provisions of the Act and rules issued by the government. The terms of the HERC Tariff Regulations 2021 were, however, different from the Open Access Regulations 2022.
Rule 9 of the Green Energy Open Access Regulations 2022 lists all the charges payable by green open access consumers, including transmission, wheeling, cross-subsidy, and standby charges.
Whereas as per the HERC Tariff Regulations 2021, open access consumers are liable to pay ₹1.50 (~$0.018)/kWh for injection and drawl of solar power in the grid as reliability charges.
The petitioners argued that both regulations must be consistent to make sure everything is clear.
In their submission, the distribution companies (DISCOMs) argued that reliability charges were consciously provided under the HERC Renewable Energy Regulations, 2021, considering the impact of the infirm injection of solar power on DISCOMs. Reliability charges provide recovery costs associated to keep the system ready and available.
Since there is no mechanism for sharing the balancing costs by the beneficiaries, the renewable generators should contribute by way of payment of suitable reliability charges to the DISCOMs for availing open access along with banking facility in addition to other applicable charges.
The DISCOMs noted that they should be allowed to conduct a fresh study, considering the policy changes and recent data for assessing the reliability charges to be imposed.
Commission’s analysis 
The Commission noted that it had already <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/haryana-regulator-notifies-green-open-access-regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> an order approving the Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023, which will be applicable from the date of its notification in the official gazette.
Regulation 9 provides that the charges to be levied on green energy open access consumers will be transmission charges, wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge, standby charges, banking charges, application fees, SLDC charges, scheduling charges, deviation settlement charges, and reactive energy charges.
The state regulator noted that it is apparent from the list of charges that the reliability charge has not been made a part of the charges recoverable from green open access consumers under these regulations, and the DISCOMs cannot impose them.
Hence, the Commission noted that the present petition was unnecessary and had become infructuous.
Earlier, HERC had <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/haryana-additional-surcharge-%e2%82%b90-78-kwh-open-access-consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> an additional surcharge of ₹0.78 (~$0.009)/kWh for open access consumers who avail power from any source other than the DISCOMs of the state.
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Haryana Regulator Sets Aside DISCOMs’ Levy on Green Open Access Consumers

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					</table>Consumers in Haryana with a contracted demand or sanctioned load of at least 100 kW will be eligible for Green Energy Open Access, with no limit on the power supply for captive consumers, according to the state’s Green Energy Open Access Regulations, 2023.
The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://herc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERC</a>) recently issued the regulations in line with the Union government’s green energy open access rules introduced last year.
To be eligible, consumers must commit to a minimum of twelve time blocks of 15-minute intervals per day and cannot change the amount of power consumed during open access.
Consumers seeking open access must have the infrastructure for time-block-wise energy metering and accounting installed at their premises, and those connected to an independent feeder emanating from a grid substation are eligible for seeking open access. This is provided that all applications for open access of green energy will be allowed by the State Nodal Agency within thirty days.
A group of two or more consumers connected to the distribution system of a licensee at 11 kV or above may also be entitled to seek open access if all consumers apply collectively and have the necessary infrastructure for metering and accounting.
Consumers not on independent feeders will be allowed open access subject to system constraints and power cut restrictions imposed by the distribution licensee serving them. However, any underdrawn power due to power cut restrictions shall not be compensated.
Consumers who have outstanding dues for more than two months, have a case of unauthorized use of electricity/theft of electricity pending against them, or have been declared insolvent or bankrupt are not eligible for open access.
The green energy open access consumer must restrict the sum of their total drawal from open access and the distribution licensee up to the total sanctioned contract demand, with a maximum admissible drawal in any time block during the day for green energy open access consumers.
Banking
The regulations allow RE-based captive generating plants to bank power up to their contract demand for captive/own use by paying banking charges and transmission and distribution losses. The banked power must be used within the same billing cycle and cannot be carried forward to the next cycle.
The quantum of banked energy by Green Energy Open Access consumers cannot exceed 30% of their total monthly consumption from the distribution licensee. A drawal of banked power is not allowed during peak load hours.
Charges
The charges to be levied on green energy open access consumers include transmission charges, wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge, standby charges wherever applicable, banking charges, application fees/SLDC fees/charges, scheduling charges, deviation settlement charges, and reactive energy charges.
Green energy open access consumers purchasing green energy from renewable sources will have a fixed surcharge for twelve years from the generating plant&#8217;s operating date. Cross-subsidy surcharges will not apply to non-fossil fuel waste-to-energy plant consumers or green energy production of green hydrogen and ammonia.
Standby charges will be 125% of the energy charges applicable to the consumer tariff category.
Intra-State transmission loss will apply to consumers seeking green energy open access, determined as the average 52-week intra-state transmission loss for the previous financial year.
RECs
Distribution licensees must issue green certificates to consumers yearly if they request green energy supplied beyond their renewable purchase obligation. The SLDC Haryana will be the State Nodal Agency for granting green energy open access for short-term periods of up to a month. At the same time, the State Transmission Utility (STU) will be the nodal agency for medium-term and long-term periods.
All applications for connectivity and green energy open access must be submitted through the single window green energy open access system for renewable energy developed by the Central Nodal Agency at the STU headquarters.
The Commission recently <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/haryana-notifies-wind-hydro-energy-storage-obligation-until-fy30" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amended</a> its renewable purchase obligation (RPO) policy to include wind energy in the RPO and move solar energy into the &#8216;other RPO&#8217; category.
Subscribe to Mercom&#8217;s real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates </a>to ensure you don&#8217;t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.

Haryana Regulator Notifies Green Open Access Regulations

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					</table>Affordability, reliability, and sustainability are the three pillars driving the growth of renewable energy adoption among businesses, especially the commercial and industrial (C&amp;I) segment, Vinay Pabba, Chief Operating Officer at <a href="https://www.vibrantenergyholdings.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vibrant Energy</a>, said at the recent Mercom India C&amp;I Clean Energy Meet in Noida.
Pabba said renewable energy solutions save businesses 15-30% in energy costs.
He was a panelist in a discussion on &#8216;Clean Power Purchase – Options and Technologies Maximizing ROI.&#8217;
Here are the excerpts from his observations at the session:
What makes solar essential for businesses?
Affordability remains a primary driver today with the declining costs of solar and wind. A secular downward trend in prices has ensured that it is now very affordable for industries to buy solar and wind power and make a saving.
So, whether you are in Noida, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, or anywhere from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, I believe that with proper structuring and solution provider, industries and businesses can stand to save between 15-30%, depending on where you are.
Renewable energy is now much more accessible to even small businesses and industries.
Is the Green Energy Open Access policy a game-changer?
We have a great enabling legislation that came out only a couple of months back— the Green Open Access rules.
Earlier, the privilege of going for open access was limited to customers with a very high load of above 1 MW to be able to sign a contract with independent generators to set up solar and wind projects and then deliver power at their premises.
That&#8217;s no longer the case. That limit of 1 MW has now been reduced to 100 kW.
This opens the space to even smaller industrial establishments, which can now opt for open access. That&#8217;s a great enabling legislation. We believe that policy amendments alone can increase the open access customer base by at least a multiple of 1,000.
How do you see the trend of businesses adopting renewables to meet sustainability goals?
Sustainability is not just driven by CSR initiatives or corporate commitments to emission reduction, but it&#8217;s also primarily by the compulsions of the supply chain &#8211; especially in very hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel.
Europe and the U.S. today demand that companies supply green steel to them, which attracts a premium. So, companies earn more by adopting renewables.
Also, the legislation in these countries, which might kick in in a couple of years, is to impose a carbon tax on steel and other commodities coming into Europe, depending on the inherent carbon content. So, a manufacturer can have a lesser tariff barrier if the steel happens to be green and exported to Europe.
Supply chain compulsions remain a very strong reason why Indian businesses are going the renewable route.
Are businesses more confident in switching fully or partly to solar to meet their energy needs?
At the end of the day, industries need reliable power. This was one box that solar and wind could not tick for a long time. Solar isn&#8217;t available at night, which creates an intermittency problem.
This is much less in wind, given that 80% of the generation is in three to four months, highly intermittent, and, therefore, unreliable. But those were the old days.
With the intelligent combination of solar, wind, and energy storage systems, we can now give our customers a reliable power solution.
So, a firm can achieve a 70% renewable profile, which is very similar to a base load profile, by an intelligent combination of solar and wind and a bit of oversizing. Further, these projects can be located in areas where resource maximization can occur.
It is now possible to have round-the-clock, reliable baseload power with renewable energy. That&#8217;s a huge enabler and will remain a key driver for C&amp;I businesses and industries if they want to go down the solar path. 
What more can the government do to push renewable adoption among businesses further?
The government has provided the necessary push. Many power distribution companies (DISCOMs) provide green power tariffs. The industries must now be obliged to do their part, especially when solution providers like Vibrant Energy provide ample options and help save money.
Mercom India&#8217;s C&amp;I Clean Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/renewable-experts-decode-ways-for-green-at-mercom-indias-event/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meets</a> bring the commercial and industrial sector face to face with green energy developers and financiers specializing in designing, implementing, and funding renewable energy solutions.
Mercom India will host the &#8216;C&amp;I Clean Energy Meet&#8217; series across major cities in the country in 2023.

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