Tuesday, April 29, 2014: Bangalore is taking another step to get solar-power friendly. In the latest, the citizens will soon be allowed ‘net metering’, courtesy the distribution utility BESCOM. With net metering coming in place, the rooftop owners of the city will soon be allowed to to sell the excess solar power generated to the grid.
This will help the rooftop owners in the way that they now don’t have to install expensive batteries to store the excess power, as they have the choice to store their electricity in the grid. Net metering system has proved to be a beneficial choice in India as power is quite an issue across the country and solar power has emerged as a strong alternative. Bangalore has been a frontrunner in the adoption of solar technology as the city already houses a huge number of solar water heaters, courtesy the strong government support that the citizens get.
Net metering has already become a phenomena of sorts in countries like the USA. Many Indian states are contemplating the alternative. Although it has its share of teething issues, like
1. the settlement of excess electricity in cash or kind
2. the account of excess electricity
3. the situation of grid safety if a lot of solar power is generated.