The Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOME) has invited bids for the development of 10 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems with net metering on residential buildings across regions in Karnataka. The tender has been issued under the government’s ‘Soura Gruha Yojane’ program in the districts of Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, and Vijayanagara. Rooftop systems above 3 kW and up to 10 kW will be eligible for a subsidy of 40 per cent for the first 3 kW and 20 per cent for the remaining capacity. For group housing societies and residential welfare associations with common facilities of up to 500 kW, central financing assistance will be restricted to 20 per cent.If the lowest price discovered is higher than the benchmark cost set by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in each category, the benchmark cost will be treated as the lowest price. The deadline for submission of bids is April 12, 2021.
To be eligible, the lead bidder must be a system integrator or a module manufacturer. Further, The bidder should have executed projects with a minimum cumulative capacity of 400 kW in the last three financial years. These projects must have been carried outfor a distribution company state or central government, public sector undertaking, or private sector.
In February 2020, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission suggested allowing net metering for rooftop solar projects between 1 kW and 10 kW and gross metering for capacity over 10 kW. Further, it went on to suggest generic tariffs of Rs 3.82 per kWh for residential rooftop solar systems between 1 kW and 10 kW, and Rs 2.84 per kWh for larger-scale projects.