The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has granted one-time relaxation in its rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) regulations at the behest of Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).

UPNEDA had petitioned the commission seeking that the rooftop solar PV regulations 2019 not be enforced retrospectively. It had requested that the enforcement of these regulations be postponed by 180 days and that government and semi-government institutes be brought under the aegis of net metering.

After going through submissions made, the UPERC noted that those eligible for net metering under the previous regulations would include consumers who had applied to the distribution company (DISCOM) to avail net metering. It would also include those who had placed orders for rooftop solar projects under CAPEX mode and made the payment or entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with developers under RESCO mode before the notification of rooftop solar PV regulations 2019.

To reduce the hardship of consumers and to enable the growth of rooftop solar PV in the state, the UPERC has granted one-time relaxation and allowed 59 projects or consumers to avail either net metering or gross metering facility.

This order will benefit rooftop solar PV projects totaling 10,391 kW.

Earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) finalized the proposed regulations related to net-metering provisions for rooftop solar projects in the state. The state has now increased the upper cap of rooftop installations under net metering mechanism from 1 MW to 2 MW.

Mercom previously reported on how net metering policy had been a drag for India’s rooftop solar sector as most states have an upper limit (usually 1 MW) on the size of a rooftop solar PV project.

Image credit: Ujaas Energy