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Solar panels fail to provide power bill relief in Gurugram
Gurugram Residents who have installed rooftop solar panels, with the hope of getting reduced electricity bills by sending power to the common grid, have failed to
Gurugram Residents who have installed rooftop solar panels, with the hope of getting reduced electricity bills by sending power to the common grid, have failed to get the benefits, or in some cases, receive an electricity bill for over a year.
Eighty-year-old Ismail Khan, a resident of Sector 14, who got the solar panels and net meter installed earlier this year, said, “Earlier without net metering, I used to pay ₹16,000 for two months, but I end up paying more now. There is no adjustment done in the bill.”
He said his latest bill, issued this month for July and August, is for ₹38,600. He said his bills show that his consumption was nearly the same — around 2,000 units — before and after net metering.
The net meter maintains a record of power exported to the electricity grid. Once a solar panel is installed, the direct current is converted through a solar inverter, which is further connected to the main distribution board through which power is supplied to a house. If the power produced is more than the consumption, the surplus is fed to the grid. The net meter installed on the electricity pole facilitates the transfer to the discom’s grid.
Khan said the bills didn’t mention the number of solar units exported to the grid.
Ashok Malik, a resident of Sector 23, said, “Since the net metering was done in February this year, I have received three bills, but in none of these are a mention of how many units of electricity has been transferred to the grid and how much has been used by us. There is no difference in the bill generated after net metering.”
Another 75-year-old resident of Sector 17, who did not wish to be named, said he feared he might have to clear a large bill as he hasn’t received a single power bill in the last one year, since he switched to net metering. “Despite running around the discom’s office for a year, I have not received a single bill. Every time, they say bills have been cleared and will be sent soon but there is no response.”
The DHBVN data shows that until May, there were 727 net metered connections in the city, which together had a total solar power capacity of 40.275 MW.
Sanjeev Chopra, the chief engineer of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), said, “There were billing problems in the systems installed before June. On Wednesday, our officers went to the headquarters in Hisar to clear the 22 net-metered bills that had issues. All the previous adjustments will be done and the bills will be generated correctly.”
“Earlier, the billing software was designed to feed only two readings. After the net metering became operational, three types of reading have to be fed into the system. The electricity bill is generated by deducting solar units from total consumed units. The software was not equipped for this earlier, but it has been updated now,” said Chopra.
He said billing issues should not discourage people from opting for renewable energy such as solar power.
A representative of a solar panel installation companies said the billing problem is mainly in sectors 14, 17, 21, 22, 23, Palam Vihar and Udyog Vihar. “We are aware of more than 40 cases that are pending with the DHBVN.”
“Many consumers have not received electricity bills even after a year of the installation. Those who received bills have to pay high amounts,” Sejal Aggarwal, owner of a solar panel installation company, whose clients, more than 20 in number, have not received proper bills for one year.
Umesh Vishwakarma, who has installed five SPVs along with net meters in Sector 17, said that three of his five clients have received bills without any mention of solar units. “In the last year, these people have run from pillar to post to get their bills, which have not been generated for a year. There has been no response so far from the DHBVN,” said Vishwakarma.
