MEPCO Net Metering – Detailed Process With Pros Cons
Mepco net metering is An Ecological Route to Energy Self-Sufficiency. The programme encourages people to take charge of their energy consumption and expenses while also encouraging the use of renewable energy sources by enabling homeowners to sell excess solar energy back to the grid. After powering the loads, the solar PV system transfers all extra energy back to the grid using the MECO Net Metering programme. You get full credit for every kilowatt-hour you return to the grid. There are NO CHANGES to this credit rate. Every year, any excess kWh credits are deposited into the bank.
Any unused credits carry over to the following month until your “anniversary date.” You may, but only once, alter your anniversary date to any other month. Any credits are lost after the anniversary date, and the procedure is repeated.
Although the programme is permanently ended, all existing NEM agreements are grandfathered in. It’s still possible to go solar and consider installing solar PV systems in your house, though!
How Do I Apply for Net-Metering Services?
The consumer requests to take part in the Net-Metering Programme at his Distribution Utility (DU). The following list of necessary papers will be sent to the customer by the DU after it receives the request:
- Net-Metering Application Form
- Identification Document
- Complete Planning Data
- List of Certified Equipment
- Form for Plant Parameters
The customer files the completed Net-Metering Application form along with the necessary supporting documentation as soon as the aforesaid prerequisites are met. The documents’ completeness and accuracy will thereafter be confirmed by the DU. The DU will send out an acknowledgement receipt along with comments on whether the application is complete within ten (10) business days of receiving the application.
Check mepco bill payment method.
Technical assessment
The application moves on to the technical evaluation stage upon receipt of the required documentation. In compliance with the DSOAR, the DU will conduct an initial evaluation to ascertain if a Distribution Impact Study (DIS) will be required and will notify the applicant as such. The purpose of the DIS is to determine whether any changes to the distribution system are necessary and whether it can safely and reliably support the proposed interconnection of a generation source. The DU notifies the applicant and provides the following information about the DIS if the conduct of the DIS is judged necessary:
- Study Scope
- Calculated Date of DIS Finish
- DIS Charge
The applicant notifies the DU of his intention to move forward with the DIS within thirty (30) days of receiving information about it. The applicant pays the DIS fee to the DU if they choose to proceed with the DIS. The applicant may be asked for more information while the DIS is being conducted. The DU has sixty (60) days from the date of receipt of the DIS data to finish the study.
The results of the investigation and the DU’s conclusions regarding the necessity of a second stage of a Distribution Assets Study (DAS) are sent to the applicant within five (5) days of the DIS’s completion.
The DU extends an offer of DAS service to the applicant if the conduct of a DAS is required. The applicant notifies the DU of their decision to move forward with the DAS within fifteen (15) days of receiving the DAS offer. The DU has thirty (30) days to finish the study after the applicant accepts the DAS offer and pays the DAS cost. The results of the study are communicated to the applicant by the DU five (5) days after the DAS is finished.
Project Agreement and Interconnection Facilities
After the technical review phase is over, the DU completes the design of the interconnection facilities based on the findings of the DAS and/or DIS and, if relevant, the associated project costs. Depending on the metre set-up (single bi-directional metre or two uni-directional metres), this step includes an inspection of the service entrance. Depending on the circumstances, a Certificate of Final Electrical Inspection (CFEI), which must be obtained from the city or municipality, can be necessary.
Project agreements (such as the Fixed Asset Boundary Document and Net-Metering Agreement) will be signed, and the relevant fees will be paid once the plans for the interconnection facilities are finished. After that, work on the connecting facilities can start.
Energization
The applicant’s installed facilities will go through testing and commissioning after construction is finished, with the DU present to watch the process. Inspection of the system’s constituent parts and functional testing to guarantee adherence to the Net-Metering Interconnection Standards are part of commissioning.
Benefits of Mepco net metering
Net metering has several advantages, some of which help the owner of the solar system and others that benefit the grid and society at large. Here is a summary of a few advantages:
increases homeowners’ financial viability of solar
- Gives solar owners an easy method to get paid for the energy their systems generate.
- Promotes the installation of new solar panels on already-existing buildings, lowering carbon emissions, and protecting undeveloped land.
- Lessens the requirement for new fossil fuel power facilities and lessens the need for newly constructed electricity transmission infrastructure, which is costly, contentious, and requires years to approve, finance, and construct
People who do not own their homes can now profit from solar energy thanks to virtual net metering.
Drawbacks of Net Metering
The following are a few disadvantages of net metering:
- The value of net metering credits is kept the same according to the time they are created in the absence of time-of-use invoicing.
- An excessive number of net-metered solar installations lessen grid demand throughout the day, but they do not ease congestion at nighttime peak hours as the sun sets.
- The distribution grid may occasionally need to be upgraded to handle higher levels of two-way power flow when there are many solar installations in a small area. This could result in higher rates for all ratepayers, though the cost is typically borne by the system owner when the distribution system infrastructure exceeds its rated capacity.
Because wealthy people can install solar panels and cut their energy bills almost completely, some utility companies argue that net metering represents a “cost shift” from higher-income to lower-income households, with those without solar having to pay a larger share of the fixed costs of maintaining the grid.
Conclusion
The greatest inducement to invest in renewable energy generation systems among the general public has been provided by net metering rules implemented nationwide. People across the nation can produce their own electricity and fight climate change thanks to net metering regulations. Distributed generating assets, such as solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, will become increasingly significant as the grid gets more modern and decarbonised. These assets will benefit system owners as well as the grid overall.