MNRE Adds 402 MW of Solar Cell Capacity to ALMM, Total Nears 38 GW

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Fengate Asset Management Closes Acquisition of Accelergen Energy

Kanpur Packaging Manufacturer Installs Rooftop Solar to Cut Power Costs

TERI Announces Winner of 115 MWh Battery Storage Auction

Power Ministry Revises RoW Compensation Rules for Transmission Lines

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					</table>The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://merc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MERC</a>) has proposed amendments to the State Grid Code to introduce operational, scheduling, data-sharing, and grid compliance requirements for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and renewable energy projects.
The draft Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (State Grid Code) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026, will apply across Maharashtra and come into effect from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
The Commission has proposed defining an energy storage system (ESS) as a facility that converts electrical energy into another form of energy for storage and subsequently reconverts it into electrical energy and injects it into the grid.
It has also defined a renewable energy generating station as a generating station based on renewable energy, with or without an ESS, including renewable hybrid generating stations.
Connection Standards
The State Grid Code is proposed to be expanded to include ESS and renewable energy generating stations.
BESS and renewable energy generating stations connected to, or seeking connectivity with, the intra-state transmission system (InSTS) must comply with the Grid Code, applicable Central Electricity Authority technical standards, connectivity and communication requirements, protection requirements, and other procedures and MERC guidelines.
SLDC Control Over BESS Operations
BESS connected to the InSTS must operate according to directions and instructions issued by the State Load Despatch Center (SLDC).
These directions can cover charging and discharging, system security, voltage and frequency control, and other aspects necessary for secure, reliable, and efficient grid operation.
BESS operators must provide real-time operational data to the SLDC through approved communication systems. The information will include charging and discharging status, available energy, available charging and discharging capacity, and state of charge.
The systems must comply with SLDC instructions relating to frequency support, voltage regulation, congestion management, reserve support, and system restoration.
Scheduling and Deviation Settlement
BESS connected to the InSTS will participate in scheduling and despatch according to the Grid Code and procedures specified by the SLDC.
Charging and discharging schedules must be identified and accounted for separately. Both schedules will also be subject to the applicable Deviation Settlement Mechanism regulations.
MERC has proposed recognizing owners or operators of BESS connected to the intra-state transmission system as state entities.
BESS operators must also provide the operational, technical, and commercial information required by the SLDC, State Transmission Utility, and distribution licensees. They must maintain adequate communication and telemetry infrastructure for sharing real-time operating information.
Operators must follow SLDC instructions relating to charging and discharging, ancillary services, congestion management, voltage and frequency control, system security, and grid operation.
Metering
The proposed amendments will expand the applicability of the State Grid Code&#8217;s Metering Code to cover ESS and renewable energy generating stations connected to the InSTS.
Recently, the Maharashtra Government <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maharashtra-clarifies-mandatory-energy-storage-rules-for-renewable-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarified</a> that all new renewable energy projects with a capacity or connectivity of more than 100 kW must install energy storage under the state’s Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Policy 2025 to 2036. The requirement will also apply to renewable energy projects supplying power to open access consumers that do not require banking or balancing support.
Subscribe to Mercom’s real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates</a> to ensure you don’t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.

Maharashtra Proposes Grid Code Rules for Battery Energy Storage Systems

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					</table>Distributed generation storage and energy services company <a href="https://us.sunpower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SunPower Corporation</a>’s net loss widened to $51 million for the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year (FY) 2023 against the loss of $2 million year-on-year (YoY), primarily due to higher cost of revenue and operational expenses.
Higher cost of revenue led to Sunpower’s gross margin dipping to 17.1% in the quarter compared with 21.7% YoY.
However, the company’s revenue rose by 26% YoY to $440.9 million for January-March, mainly driven by higher customer additions. The company added 21,000 new customers during the quarter, up 27% YoY.
SunPower adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) stood at $1 million in Q1, down from $11 million YoY.
Additionally, the company repaid $425 million convertible debt in January 2023.
SunPower invested in a unique virtual power plant in collaboration with OhmConnect, in California during Q1.
The company’s complete storage solution— SunVault battery storage will connect with OhmConnect to dispatch excess stored energy to Sunpower’s solar customers during low sun days.
SunPower also piloted new scheduling software in the quarter, enabling more reliable appointment times and providing customers with real-time tracking of technicians traveling to their site.
SunPower’s  CEO Peter Faricy said, &#8220;We exited the first quarter with high customer growth, significant new financing commitments, and unprecedented retrofit backlog driven by our efforts securing customers under NEM 2.0. This progress, despite challenging weather in California, validates the strength of the residential solar market and SunPower&#8217;s ability to capture growing demand.”
“As retail electricity rates continue to rise and consumers urgently seek a more affordable and reliable energy source, the solar value proposition remains strong.&#8221;
KKR Funds
Recently, the company announced that it has inked a definitive agreement with global investment firm KKR under which credit funds managed by the latter will commit to buying $550 million of solar energy loans made to Sunpower customers.
SunPower’s Chief Financial Officer Guthrie Dundas commented, &#8220;With the closing of this transaction, we have raised sufficient capital year-to-date to fund a total of $1 billion of incremental solar loans for SunPower&#8217;s customers.  As demand continues to rise, we expect this additional capital will power our loan bookings volume into 2024 and enable SunPower to increase access to the benefits of solar for more homeowners.”
KKR’s Managing Director Avi Korn said, &#8220;Residential solar is a key area of focus for our Asset-Based Finance business. We look forward to supporting one of the industry&#8217;s leading platforms to provide solar and energy services through this transaction.&#8221;
SunPower <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sunpowers-revenue-jumps-record-new-customers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a YoY increase of 43% in revenue at $497.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, primarily driven by the addition of 23,700 new customers, up 39% YoY. It was also the company’s highest-ever customer acquisition in a quarter.

SunPower’s Q1 Loss Widens to $51 Million on Higher Expenses

Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (<a href="http://www.ketsa.gov.my/en-my/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KeTSA</a>) announced its New Energy Metering Program 3.0 (NEM 3.0), which aims to incentivize the export of excess solar energy into the grid by consumers with solar photovoltaic systems.
Under NEM 3.0, residential customers and buildings of government entities can each export 100 MW of surplus solar generation into the grid. Consumers in the commercial and industrial (C&amp;I) category are given a quota of 300 MW. The new program is set to come into effect on February 1, 2021.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-23707" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering.png" alt="Malaysia Net Metering" width="912" height="361" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering.png 912w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering-300x119.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering-768x304.png 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering-650x257.png 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering-624x247.png 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Malaysia-Net-Metering-600x238.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px" />
For the residential and government consumer categories, excess power can be injected back into the grid on a ‘one-on-one’ offset basis, which implies that every 1 kWh injected into the grid would be offset against 1 kWh of power consumed from the grid. C&amp;I consumers can export power back to the grid at the system marginal price or the prevailing market rate. This amount would be credited to their power bill for the subsequent month.
After the first ten years, the ‘self-consumption model’ would apply. Under this model, consumers would be allowed to use the power generated from their solar projects without exporting any excess energy back into the grid.
The 500 MW export quota was fully subscribed on November 27, 2020. The Ministry also announced enhancements to the older program.
Consumers under NEM 2.0 are allowed to export surplus solar power on a ‘one-on-one’ basis to the grid for an additional ten years over the ten years permitted previously. They will continue to be compensated at the system management price for this period, after which the self-consumption model will apply.
Malaysia announced its Net Energy Metering Program back in 2016 and the successive, NEM 2.0, in 2019. The program was introduced to promote the adoption of solar energy in the country.
In June 2020, KeTSA <a href="https://mercomindia.com/malaysia-tender-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> a 1 GW solar tender. The tender was floated under the fourth round of the nation’s Large- Scale Solar program initiated by the Malaysian government to attract investments in the renewable sector. This was the largest capacity ever tendered by the Malaysian government. In January 2020, the energy commission of Malaysia <a href="https://mercomindia.com/malaysia-awards-solar-projects-five-companies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">awarded</a> about 491 MW of large-scale solar projects to ib vogt GmbH and Coara Solar, Cypark Resources Berhad and Impian Bumiria, JKH Renewables and Solarpack Asia, ENGIE Energie Services and TTL Energy, and Konsortium Beseri Jaya and Hanwha Energy Corporation Singapore.

Malaysia To Provide Net Metering for 500 MW of Residential and C&I Solar Systems

The Renewable Energy Association of Rajasthan (<a href="https://www.rear.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">REAR</a>) has written to the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (<a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/energy-department/rrecl/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RRECL</a>), asking it to permit the use of existing energy meters for projects under the rooftop subsidy program due to a shortage of meters in the market.
The association explained that projects under the program were getting delayed due to the shortage of solar and net meters. It asked the RRECL to consider using existing energy meters for metering solar generation and to reserve new net meters only for solar projects. It added that this step would also help mitigate wasteful or duplicate costs that would invariably have to be borne by the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor and the end consumer.
It further noted that in instances where consumers increase their load requirements for solar installations, new meters need to be installed. These new meters will have to be replaced again when net-metering is required, leading to unnecessary additional expenditure.
Arvind Sindhawa, founder and general secretary of REAR, told Mercom that most meter manufacturers in the state are unable to meet the demand for net and solar meters as distribution companies are not prompt in submitting their detailed inspection reports to manufacturers. As a result of this, projects that have already been installed are unable to opt for net or solar meters, he added.
REAR explained that as a result of falling solar prices and consumer expectations for them to fall further, vendors and micro, medium, and small enterprises (MSMEs) are unable to manage costs.
In a separate letter addressed to the RRECL, the association wrote on behalf of empanelled vendors facing issues in getting approvals for load extension and net metering from distribution companies (DISCOMs).
It explained that there was no standard operating procedure for DISCOMs to follow net metering. As a result, the related engineer&#8217;s office has been following protocols, which has resulted in vendors and consumers being “harassed” and projects delayed.
The letter said that load extensions that are expected to be completed in 21 days were being delayed by over two months, especially in rural areas. It also cited delays in acquiring no-objection certificates for net metering connections and in meter testing of up to 45 days. The specified limit for these processes is only three days.
In addition to these, REAR cited examples where DISCOMs have been charging additional stamp fees apart from what is specified in net metering agreements. There have also been instances where the beneficiaries have been asked to share quotations and detailed cost sheets through email and promising concessions in return.
While this the case in Rajasthan, in contrast, it was <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rooftop-solar-installations-goa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that most solar households in Goa have a net-metering facility. More than 114 consumers have installed rooftop solar systems across Goa, of which 107 are net metered connections, and seven are gross metered.
Mercom previously published an article that said that the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/net-metering-drag-rooftop-solar-growth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">implementation</a> of the net-metering policy in various states has been problematic primarily because DISCOMs do not want to lose premium customers in the C&amp;I segment that pay high tariffs and are a major source of their revenue.
Back in July, REAR <a href="https://mercomindia.com/renewable-association-mnre-inspect-solar-modules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, asking it to start conducting online pre-dispatch inspections of the domestic content requirement (DCR) certified solar modules. The association, on behalf of all empaneled vendors under phase-II of the grid-connected rooftop solar program, wrote that while the pre-dispatch inspection process is vital to ensure the quality of the components used in the program, it was not a good idea to conduct physical inspections in these times.
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Image credit: Unsplash

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