The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has declined to relax the statutory net-metering limit for Shri Vishwakarma Skill University (SVSU), Palwal, but has directed the distribution licensee to facilitate grid connectivity for the university’s 1,412 kW solar project under a gross-metering arrangement.
The decision was issued on September 21, 2026, following a petition filed by SVSU through its Project Management Consultant, Ircon Infrastructure & Services Limited. The university had sought an exemption from the existing 500 kW net-metering ceiling to allow its 1,412 kW rooftop solar installation at the Dhudhola campus to operate under net metering.
The solar project was developed at an investment of ₹9.88 crore. SVSU stated that the project was conceptualized during 2018–19 and that its 5,000 kW high-tension load had been sanctioned in May 2020. According to the university, solar installations of higher capacities were permissible under the administrative framework applicable at the time.
However, when SVSU attempted to register the completed solar installation on the net-metering portal in 2024, the application was restricted to 500 kW. The university argued that refusing net-metering for the entire project would leave significant public investment and renewable energy infrastructure underutilized.
Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) opposed the requested relaxation. The distribution licensee maintained that the 500 kW ceiling was linked to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, and applicable HERC regulations. DHBVN also argued that the Commission’s power to relax regulations could not be used to effectively modify subordinate legislation.
HERC rejected SVSU’s request, noting that the university had not obtained technical feasibility approval or a formal Letter of Approval under the earlier 2019 regulations before making the investment. The Commission also observed that the 5,000 kW load sanction provided authorization for electricity consumption but did not establish a vested right to net metering.
At the same time, HERC considered the need to prevent the university’s public investment in the solar project from becoming stranded. The Commission determined that gross metering could provide a legally permissible alternative for utilizing the entire solar capacity.
Under the gross-metering arrangement, SVSU will be able to inject electricity generated by the 1,412 kW solar project into the grid and receive compensation based on applicable HERC-determined tariffs, while its electricity consumption will be billed separately under prevailing retail tariffs.
HERC has directed SVSU to apply under the gross-metering framework. DHBVN has been instructed to execute the required interconnection agreements, install automated meter reading equipment and complete grid synchronization within 45 days of receiving the application.
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