Daily Times

LAHORE: Energy sector experts on Sunday stressed the need for provision of ‘Net Metering’ (NM) facility on the pattern of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) to all other Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs).

NM is a utility resource usage and payment scheme in which a customer who generates their own power is compensated monetarily. NM originated with electric companies as a way to encourage consumers to invest in renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power, they said.

The experts opined that under the NM, consumers would not only generate electricity through solar and wind resources but also enable to export and import it to DISCOs.

Energy experts suggested that considering well in view the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) SRO 892(1) 2015 all the DISCOs must extend NM facility to consumers through one-window operation as well as simplify its procedures.

Pakistan Solar Association Founding Chairman Engineer Faiz Muhammad Bhutta explained that as per NEPRA’s rules, every consumer (distributer generator) would be provided with NM ranging from one Kilo Watt to one Mega Watt. On receiving the NM application, he added, NEPRA would issue license in this regard but on the report and inspection of relevant DISCO.

He asserted that the consumer generating electricity under NM facility would have to connect its system with a grid station of respective distribution company.

“In this way, the NM holder’s surplus electricity would be used by other consumers and if NM consumer would generate less electricity then they could import it on payment from the relevant DISCO,” Bhutta said.

The chairman said that NM awareness seminar was the first step by private sector and the Punjab Energy Department would extend all possible support for promotion of this facility, asserting that the department would also hold a similar activity next month.