Clean energy

India has an ambitious plan to boost its clean energy capacity to 175 gigawatt by 2022 and will invest Rs127 billion to achieve this goal. Sadly Pakistan’s budget has neither a target nor an allocation to do what is critical for the future of this country and this planet. The least that had been done was to create massive schemes to encourage individuals and organisations to seek alternate energy solutions. Net metering is one such scheme that enables those who generate their own solar power to return the excess (unused) power to the grid and also be compensated for it. This means that the electrical meter measures what is received as well as what is returned to the grid. The customer is billed for the net difference between the two. Both the parties, the solar power generator and the distribution company, benefit from the scheme.

Nepra has laid down  the procedure for power supply companies to provide the net metering facility to those who install their own solar systems. While Mepco, Iesco, Lesco, Fesco and Hesco have adopted this scheme, KE has inexplicably opted to look the other way. Considering that there is an acute shortage of electricity, the provision of net metering facility will greatly help people. Will KE provide reverse metering option to all its solar power generating customers? In fact, Nepra should force KE to do the same.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi