Consumers with rooftop solar plants accuse Tangedco of cheating
Consumers allege that the utility has been charging based on the capacity utilisation factor (CUF)
CHENNAI: Consumers who have installed rooftop solar allege that Tangedco continues to fleece them by collecting network charges based on capacity utilisation factor (CUF) as against the actual solar energy generation.
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has allowed Tangedco to collect network charges either based on actual generation by the rooftop solar plants or CUF if the separate solar meter is not installed.
However, consumers allege that Tangedco collects network charges based on CUF irrespective of the actual solar plant generation. A consumer, AVA Vanaraj, Sevvapettai, Tiruvallur, took to social media to call out the utility for excessively collecting the charges on solar generation. He said that Tangedco collected Rs 288.43, which is double the actual charge of Rs 148, based on the export-eligible 468 units.
“On the Tangedco website, it’s mentioned that if the solar generator meter is installed, the export-eligible units should be used to calculate network charges. Though the utility has installed a solar meter in my house, it’s billing network charges based on CUF, which is an imaginary number, as they imagine all the 60+ days the panel is generating. The on-grid inverter will not work during power shutdown, high and low voltage and power cuts,” he wrote.
N Srinivasan, a resident of Korattur, said that despite the variation in solar generation, his apartment’s rooftop solar plant would get almost identical network charges in every billing cycle. “The State government should consider scrapping the network charges for the rooftop solar plants installed by the domestic and domestic common supply consumers,” he said.
P Ashok Kumar, president of the TN Solar Energy Developers Association, said that the consumer should not be made to pay for non-generated solar units. “During the rainy season and cloudy conditions, solar generation would be less. But the utility is calculating network charges based on CUF which is 5.04 units/KW per day. It’s wrong,” he said. “TNERC has released a draft regulation for rooftop solar systems doing away with the CUF-based network charges.”
A senior Tangedco official said that the network charges are calculated based on the TNERC regulations.
What are network charges?
Network charges are those charges collected by the utility to enable the smooth functioning of grid-connected rooftop solar. For domestic consumers, Tangedco collects Rs 1.59/unit from July 1, 2024. Applicable charges for domestic consumers are 20% up to 10 KW and 75% above 10 KW
How is it calculated?
It’s calculated based on the gross generation of solar power recorded in the solar meter. If not, it should be based on the utility’s assumption that all rooftop solar systems will have a Capacity Utilization Factor of 21% and will, therefore, generate 5.04 units per day.
Network charges = Generated units * Network Charge * Network Charge Percentage
