Bhubaneswar: Several electricity consumers in the smart city and a few other parts of the state spend less on power, thanks to use of solar technology at household levels.
According to sources at the state Energy department, different government and private institutions, and households in Bhubaneswar have shifted to the utilisation of solar energy instead of thermal energy. The latter is often derived from coal, a source of energy that creates pollution.
Many of these institutions and households are connected through distribution companies (discoms) and are involved in production of solar energy besides consumption. These, in the energy sector, are often called ‘prosumers’ who not only consume energy but produce it too for others.
According to the department, these prosumers fall in the category of ‘net metering’. “At the consumer’s end, this energy comes cheaper than thermal power. Energy created throughout the day is consumed by the household itself but at night, when the consumption is less, the surplus energy is transferred to the grids,” a source from the Energy department said.
He also added, “At the end of the month, the due bill is the net power – the margin between energy usage and energy transferred to discoms. Thus, the households end up paying less than what thermal power users pay for the same amount of consumption.”
The state government is implementing net metering scheme in some of the select towns. There is no provision of subsidy from state to support the system as of now. The rooftop solar energy works are done by discoms which were earlier done by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA).
The state government has installed a 4-MW power plant too and more are likely to come up for this project. Some of the prosumers include Xavier University in Khurda, DAV Public School at Unit VIII here, Prabhuji English Medium School here, Mahabodhi School, and government buildings like Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) office and OREDA. Meanwhile, an eye hospital at Hinjili in Ganjam district has also joined the bandwagon.
Manish Kumar, OP
