Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has eased the regulations for commercial and industrial consumers pursuing to source renewable energy, a move targeted at expanding the adoption of green power in the capital.
The revised rules has been issued under the powers conferred on DERC by the Electricity Act, 2003, and will be in effect from the date of publication in the official gazette.
As per the revised regulations, consumers will no longer need an 11 kV power connection to buy green energy through open access. Instead, any commercial or industrial customer with a sanctioned load of at least 100 kW can purchase renewable electricity.
According to a gazette notification issued by DERC, any commercial or industrial consumer with a sanctioned load or contracted demand of at least 100 kW can now access green energy, regardless of their supply voltage. This reflects that a factory can purchase green energy even if its connection is below 11kV. Moreover, the amendments also simplify development of captive renewable energy projects for businesses’ own consumption.
Earlier, the capacity of a captive renewable energy plant was connected to the consumer’s sanctioned load. The latest rules do not include this restriction, enabling businesses to establish solar power plants with a capacity higher than its approved capacity without being restricted by the previous threshold.
