UNB: UNB: Power Division has issued official order to all the six power distribution utilities of the country asking each of them to purchase rooftop solar power from at least 20 consumers within next three months under net metering system.The six distribution utilities are power Development Board (PDB), Rural Electrification Board (REB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company (Desco), West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDC) and North West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (Nesco).

According to official sources, the Power Division’s renewable energy desk issued the order last week. “We have already received the Power Division order and started planning to implement it”, WZPDC managing director, Md Shafique Uddin, told UNB. He noted that now NWPDC will find out 20 potential consumers from within its command area in next 3 months. Power Division on July 28 unveiled “Net Metering Guideline 2018” in order to buy rooftop solar power from the consumers.

Under the proposed system, any consumer can set up rooftop solar system covering upto 70 percent capacity of the sanctioned load and sell the additional or unconsumed solar power after meeting his/her demand through an exchange arrangement by a special meter.

The idea is that the consumers will use their own solar power alongside the grid. But on holidays when solar power is not used, the consumers can sell it to the national grid. Even, on the working days, they can preserve their solar power to grid and sell it to his power supplying company or take it back for its own consumptions.