Gurgaon to Witness Haryana’s 1st Net Metering Solar PV system 

            The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission announced net-metering guidelines for the state of Haryana on 25th of November 2014, allowing consumers to generate solar power for their own use while feeding the surplus into the network of distribution companies. There were some implementation delays on the part of state distribution companies. Long awaited solar reforms in HAREDA have come. The state is about to witness its 1st solar PV system that will be connected to the gird under net metering policy.

            The system will be installed at Rajiv Gandhi Renewable Energy Park (RGREP), sector 29, Gurgaon and will be inaugurated on 15th of February, 2016. In such a system, a consumer generating excess power through solar panels can sell the surplus to the grid and get the amount deducted from his or her power bill. 

            The Haryana government in September, 2014 has made it mandatory for all buildings on plot size of 500 square yards or more to install rooftop solar power systems by September 2015, the deadline which has already been passed. The installation of this system based on state’s net metering policy will set a road map for the obligated entities in the state to follow the same path and hope there will be a massive jump in the installed capacity of rooftop solar PV system in the state of Haryana. Implementation of solar policy will help the power-hungry state augment generation and ease pressure on its distribution network that's prone to breakdowns, particularly in Gurgaon where demand is very high.

            Solar Facilitation Center will also be inaugurated at the RGREP on the same day, which will act as a single window for all kind of approvals and clearances from various state agencies like Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC), Renewable Energy Department of Haryana & HAREDA, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) for the installation of solar power system. This will reduce the time for various approvals and clearances and will ease the process of installation of solar power system.

            Net-metering can possibly drive extensive implementation of distributed generation by incentivising end-users to adopt localized power generation through the use of technologies such as solar power. With around 280-320 sunny days and an average insolation of 5.35 kWh/day/m2, rooftop solar system is a logical and inevitable choice for the state of Haryana.