The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has issued a draft of the second amendment to “HERC (Rooftop Solar Grid Interactive Systems Based on Net Metering/Gross Metering), Regulations, 2021,” relating to rooftop solar grid-interactive systems, proposing key changes in energy accounting and surplus power compensation.

Under the draft amendment, distribution licensees must compensate surplus electricity injected at the end of April for the March settlement period at 75% of the last discovered Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) tariff for solar energy, or at a reference rate determined by the Commission.

The amendment aims to align the state’s rooftop solar policy with national initiatives and updated model regulations, particularly the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and the Forum of Regulators (FOR) 2024 model regulations.

The original HERC rooftop regulations were notified on July 19, 2021, and amended on July 15, 2024. The amendment clarified that Monthly Minimum Charges (MMC) were to be based on total consumption rather than net consumption. However, in the Annual Revenue Requirement order for FY 2026, MMC was abolished and replaced with fixed charges.

One of the major issues previously included in the FOR Model Regulations, 2013, was the 90% annual generation cap, which was later removed in the 2019 revision when the concept of buyback of surplus energy was introduced.

The 2024 FOR model regulations recommended that distribution licensees purchase surplus solar electricity at 75% of the last discovered SECI tariff or at a reference rate to be determined by the respective Commission.

The latest draft from HERC proposes deleting Clause 11.1(a) and substituting Clause 11.1(g) and Clause 11.6 to incorporate compensation for unadjusted or unused energy credits.

At the beginning of each new settlement period, the cumulative injected electricity carried forward will be reset to zero.

Additionally, clause 11.6 now ensures that if a consumer exits the system before the settlement period ends, the unused energy credits will be compensated at 75% of the SECI tariff or a reference rate, as determined by the Commission, valid until the date of system exit.

This amendment is particularly relevant in the context of the PM Surya Ghar, which was notified on February 29, 2024.

With the amendment, Haryana seeks to streamline energy accounting, enhance compensation fairness, and promote wider adoption of rooftop solar energy systems by aligning with central government incentives.

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