Uttarakhand Regulator Denies Request To Exceed 1 MW Rooftop Solar Net Metering Limit

The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) has dismissed a petition filed by Opto Electronics Factory, Dehradun, seeking approval to install an additional 600 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic (GRPV) plant over the 1 MW ceiling limit set under the UERC RE Regulations, 2023. The petitioner had requested permission to expand its total installed rooftop solar capacity to 1.6 MW under the net metering arrangement in accordance with guidelines issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) under the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

The petitioner is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence and had already installed 1 MW rooftop solar capacity—400 kW under CAPEX mode and 600 kW under RESCO mode. The petitioner argued that its rooftop capacity allows for a total of 1.6 MW installation and that such an expansion aligns with MNRE’s directive for saturation of government buildings with solar systems by December 31, 2025.

In its submissions, the petitioner emphasized that the restriction of 1 MW capacity in the current RE Regulations contradicts the broader objectives of the Uttarakhand Solar Policy 2023, which encourages maximum rooftop solar installation for government and institutional consumers. The petitioner also pointed out that their sanctioned load is 4500 kVA, which is significantly higher than the additional 600 kW requested, and that their consumption patterns indicate that the installation would not result in excessive export of solar energy into the grid.

Respondents UPCL and UREDA provided their comments, with UPCL opposing the petition on the grounds that relaxing the 1 MW limit would impact billing and revenue realization for the distribution licensee. UPCL argued that the net metering facility already offers consumers substantial benefits and that any surplus energy injected into the grid would burden other consumers. UPCL also emphasized that the power to relax regulations should be used only under special circumstances, not commercial hardship.

UREDA, on the other hand, supported rooftop solar expansion and highlighted that similar permissions had been granted in the past for MES Roorkee and Dehradun to install 2 MW solar plants. However, the Commission clarified that those approvals were under a different model (NoC) in which surplus solar power was injected free of cost, unlike the net metering scheme under which the petitioner would be compensated.

After reviewing the arguments and applicable regulations, the Commission concluded that the petitioner’s request could not be accepted. It stated that the MNRE guidelines allow installation of rooftop solar under different arrangements—net metering, net billing, or gross metering—and do not mandate net metering specifically. Furthermore, the Commission found that granting two types of net metering arrangements under the same connection would not be technically or regulatorily feasible.

As a result, the Commission declined to relax the 1 MW ceiling limit specified in the RE Regulations, 2023 and dismissed the petition for additional rooftop solar capacity installation under net metering.