Category: Electricity & Power Supply

Solar Scheme and Incentives

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 The Govt. of India launched the National Portal for solar https://pmsuryaghar.gov.in/ on 30/07/2022 .

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana aims at giving various subsidies for installation and commissioning of Solar Systems for households. So far, more than 1 Crore registrations have already been done for availing of various benefits under the scheme.

The following steps need to be followed to avail of the scheme:

Step 1

Register in the portal with the following

  • Select your State & Electricity Distribution Company
  • Enter your Electricity Consumer Number, Mobile Number & Email

Step 2

  • Login with Consumer Number & Mobile Number
  • Apply for the Rooftop Solar as per the form

Step 3

  • Once you get the feasibility approval, get the plant installed by any of the registered vendors in your DISCOM

Step 4

  • Once installation is completed , submit the plant details and apply for net meter

Step 5

  • Commissioning certificate will be generated from the portal, after installation of net meter and inspection by DISCOM

Step 6

  • Once you get the commissioning report. Submit the bank account details and a cancelled cheque through the portal. You will receive your subsidy in your bank account within 30 days.
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India’s renewable energy plans to create over a million jobs

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A new study reveals that, if successful, India’s wind and solar energy plans can give employment to over a million people

The study, called Clean Energy Powers Local Job Growth in India, was undertaken by the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). It found that these jobs would come from project planning, construction, installation and operations required to meet the renewable energy targets and could be created in less than a decade.

Government officials find the results encouraging for the renewable energy sector.

“These job projections give us even more drive to make our solar target, the most aggressive one in the world, a reality,” said Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). “Now we know what type of skill creation we need to invest in and can take the necessary steps to make that happen.”

A previous study estimated that the Indian solar market has already employed approximately 24,000 workers during the first phase of Solar Mission in 2011-14. According to the government estimates, the wind sector development has produced an additional figure of 45,000 FTE (Full-time equivalent) jobs so far.

“Prime Minister Modi’s clean energy plan creates enormous potential for India’s booming population. It provides job opportunities and access to electricity that will power rapidly growing cities and villages,” said Anjali Jaiswal, Director of NRDC’s India Initiative. “India is aiming to produce more solar energy than any other country in the world, which is an ambitious goal and shows how serious the government is about creating a clean energy economy. Our research has found unequivocally that renewable energy can drive economic development in all corners of the country.”

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Electricity Companies to pay for actual quality coal

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Electricity Companies to pay for actual quality coal- states CERS

Ahmedabad, 11th June, 2013

Consumer  Education  Research  Society  (CERS), the  most  active and  powerful  consumer  body  in power  sector of  India has  demanded  that  all  State  Electricity  Regulatory  Commissions  (SERCs)  should  direct  State  and  Private  Generation  Companies  of  respective  States to  pay  Coal  India  Ltd (CIL) for  actual  quality  and  quantity  of  coal  received  at  their  power  stations.  CERS requests Shri. Ashok  Chawla  Chairman  of  Competition Commission of  India (CCI)  and  Shri Jyotiraditya  Scindia  Hon’ble  Power  Minister  to  take  immediate  action  in  this  matter  to  protect  electricity  consumers  of  India  from  illegal  practices  being  followed  by  Coal  India  Ltd.

In present scenario the electricity  companies  are  paying  as  per  agreements  signed  with  CIL  for  C  or  D  grade  of  coal  which  has  calorific  value  ranging  from   4000   to  5000  kcal/ kg.  In  fact  CIL  is  supplying  them  inferior  quality  of  E & F  grade  of  coal  with  calorific  value  of  3000 – 3500  Kcal / Kg. Earlier also CERS  had  made  representation   before  Ministry  of  Power  and  Competition  Commission  of  India  to  direct  CIL  to  deliver  quality  of  coal  as  per  agreement.  The  Central  Generation  Company  National  Thermal  Power  Corporation  (NTPC)  recently  raised  this  issue  with  CIL  and  signed  fresh  agreement  where  NTPC  will  carry  out  joint  sampling of coal  either  at  CIL  end  or  NTPC  end  and  will  make  payment  to  CIL  as  per  actual  weight and  actual  calorific  value  of  coal  received  at  its  each  power  station. This  will  reduce  the  cost  of  coal  atleast  by  25-30%  thus  reducing  the  burden on  consumers  of  India.

CERS   demands  that  similar  agreements  should  be signed  between  State &  Private  generating  Companies  and  requests  all  SERCs  to  issue  such  directives  to  sign  revised  agreements  with  Coal  India  Ltd.  When State  Companies  have  already signed  similar  agreements  with  Foreign  Coal  Suppliers  then  they should follow similar agreements  with  Coal  India  Ltd.  It  is really shocking  that  this  burden  is  transferred  on consumers  by  SERCs through  Fuel  Cost  Adjustment  (FCA)  of  Fuel  Price  &  Power  Purchase  Adjustment  (FPPPA)  charges  which  are  revised  every  quarter  by  Electricity  Companies  in India.  These  malpractice  of  supplying  less  and  inferior  quality  of  coal  increases  coal  consumption  by  25-30 %.

CERS   recently   wrote  to   Gujarat  Electricity  Regulatory  Commission (GERC)  to  implement  similar  procedure  as  adopted  by  NTPC  and  directed   Gujarat  Urja  Vikas  Nigam  Ltd  (GUVNL) and  Torrent  Power  Ltd to  sign  fresh  agreement  in line  with  NTPC  to  reduce  burden  on consumers  of  Gujarat.  The  State  Entity  Gujarat  State  Electricity  Corporation  Ltd  (GSECL)  uses  0.75  to  0.8  Kg  of  coal  for  generation  of  one unit. In  practice  you  need  just  0.6  kg /Kwh  thus  increasing  coal  consumption.

CERS  has  warned  that if no  action is initiated  before  31st August  2013, then  CERS  will  initiate legal  action  and  file  Public  Interest  Litigation  (PIL)  before  Gujarat  High  Court  to  bring  logical  end  to  this  matter  where  Monopolies  are  exploiting  electricity  consumers  of  India  with Regulatory  Commissions  being  silent  spectators.

For further information please contact: K.K.Bajaj CGM (Hon)–CERS – AHMEDABAD

Email : kabajaj2003@yahoo.com

 

Is your state a laggard ?

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Did you know that our state governments have a target to generate a certain amount of renewable energy every year? Not very surprisingly, most of states have not met these targets. [1]

The Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) that sets these targets does not do much to enforce them. So our state governments ignore them and we suffer from power shortage. The Ministry of Power can change this obligation into a mandatory law.

You should send an email to the power minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, asking him for a strong policy that makes your state meet its renewable energy targets.

 

CLICK HERE

 

The fight against power-cuts has already begun. People in Delhi are asking their Chief Minister for a renewable energy policy. Once Jyotiraditya Scindia starts getting our emails, he’ll realise that people in every State want him to make renewable energy available to them.

We pay so much for electricity and yet we have to face frequent power-cuts. Last year half the country had no electricity because certain states withdrew more power than they were supposed to from power grids.[2] You know that the coal that powers these grids destroys forests, livelihoods and wildlife.

We can save ourselves from all this if our states take RE seriously. It’s not impossible. I lived in a forest for a whole month [3] using solar power. Remote villages in Bihar have electricity through renewable sources. Surely, other states can do the same.

Write to the power minister now to make your state a leader in renewable energy usage.

 

CLICK HERE

 

 

Thanks!

 

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Brikesh Singh
Greenpeace India

 

Electricity Companies transferring burden of inferior coal on consumers

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CERS lodges protest against Electricity Companies transferring burden of inferior coal on consumers 

Requests GERC to direct generation companies to claim losses Coal India and other suppliers

Ahmedabad, 1st February 2013: Consumer Education Research Society (CERS) has lodged a protest before Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) against power generating companies transferring the financial burden of receiving inferior quality coal on its consumers by charging them illegally. The power generating companies in Gujarat have been receiving inferior quality of coal from Coal India Ltd, which has led to an increase in the requirement of coal from 0.6 kg/kWh to 0.75 kg/kWh (increase of 25%); for which the incurred losses are being offset by charging the electricity consumers of Gujarat. Earlier these power generating companies collected a huge amount from consumers for 6-8% loss of coal in Railway transit (from Coal mines to power plants), which is now restricted to only 0.8% after the implementation of Electricity Act. CERS has requested Hon’ble Commission to direct generation companies to claim losses from Coal India Ltd and other coal suppliers, rather unjustifiably and illegally charging consumers. CERS has stated that power companies resort to this since they find it easier to burden consumers than to recover amount from the coal suppliers.

CERS has made following study to strengthen its case:

Grade  of Coal Gross Calorific Value of Coal in Kcal/kWh Pithead price of coal in Rs/MT
   A           Above 6200     3690
   B           5600-6200     2800
   C           4940-5600     1450
   D           4200-4940     1140
   E           3360-4200        880
   F           2400-3360        660
   G           Up to 2400        480

Normally coal of D and E grade is required to generate electricity in power plants. It is shocking that Gujarat generation companies sign contract to purchase ‘D’ grade of coal and receive E grade coal. This increases the consumption of coal, Thereby increasing cost per unit generation and burdening consumers. The cost of coal increases by Rs. 2000-2500 per Metric Ton due to Railway freight charges, as coal is received in Gujarat from distance of more than 1000-1200 kms.

In recent tariff petition filed by two generating companies of Gujarat they have claimed recovery of huge amount due to receipt of poor & inferior quality of coal which has been opposed by CERS. The state owned power generation company, Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL) has claimed recovery of Rs. 160.69 crores from consumers due to its inefficiency and receiving inferior quality of coal compared to contracted grade of coal. Similarly Torrent Power Ltd has claimed a loss of Rs. 62.0 crores from its consumers for getting inferior quality of coal. This increase in fuel cost is recovered by electricity companies through GERC approved formula under Fuel Price & Power Purchase Adjustment Charges (FPPPA). Gujarat  is the  first to  introduce  FPPPA  formula  other  States  have  implemented  this  formula  from  1st April 2012 , after  directives  from  Appellate  Tribunal  for  Electricity.

CERS states that situation is not different in other state of India where consumers are being burdened due to receipt of short supply of coal and inferior quality of coal. The power generation companies in collaboration with Coal India Ltd exploit consumers with State Electricity Regulatory Commissions being silent spectators.

For more information, please contact Mr K.K.Bajaj on +91-9374103578

Order affecting all consumers of Mumbai passed by MERC (Case No. 158 of 2011)

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Dear friends,

A order affecting all consumers of Mumbai passed by MERC  for  Approval of Multi Year Tariff Business Plan of Reliance Infrastructure Limited’s Distribution Business (RInfra-D) for the second Control Period from FY 2011-12 to FY 2015-16

Full order in link below

http://www.mercindia.org.in/pdf/Order%2058%2042/Order_158_of_2011_23_11_2012.pdf

Please circulate this order for better awareness.

Courtesy : Loksatta initiative