Govt targets 4500 MWp of net-metering based solar installations by 2025

ISLAMABAD: The government, as part of its efforts to meet future energy needs, is targeting 1000 Mega Watt peak (MWp) of net-metering based solar installations by 2020-21 and 4500 MWp by 2025.

Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) is pursuing development of wind and solar power projects through private sector investors on IPP mode under Renewable Energy (RE) Policy.

The development of bagasse co-generation projects by existing sugar mills for supply of surplus energy to the national grid is also being pursued.

Sources at Energy Division while highlighting current status of Renewable Energy (RE) power generation projects on Tuesday said 15 wind power projects of 788.5 MW cumulative capacity are operational and providing electricity to the grid while 09 wind power projects of 445 MW have achieved Financial Close and are under construction.

Moreover, the sources said new wind power projects of around 1200 MW capacity are being planned to be added by 2019-2020 through competitive bidding.

Similarly, 04 solar projects (100 MW each) of 400 MW cumulative capacity are operational while two (02) solar power projects of 30 MW cumulative capacity are under construction. New solar power capacity of at around 600 MW is planned to be added by 2018-19 through competitive bidding.

The sources said five (05) sugar mill based bagasse co-generation projects of 160.1 MW capacity are operational and 23 bagasse co-generation projects of 802.5 MW cumulative capacity are under development.

In order to maximize utilization of ARE technologies and benefiting from huge solar resource available in the country, AEDB assisted National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) in developing regulations for net metering and distributed generation called the NEPRA (Alternative & Renewable Energy) Distributed Generation and Net Metering Regulations, 2015.

These regulations provide the framework for implementing net-metering installations using solar and wind generation of up to one (1) MW capacity in domestic, commercial, industrial and agriculture sectors.

The first net-metering system of one (1) MW capacity was installed at Parliament House, Islamabad which has opened door for net-metering based systems in all parts of the country.

As of August 2017, a total of 147 solar installations with a cumulative capacity of around 4100 kW (including the 1000 kW solar system at Parliament House) have been approved by NEPRA for net-metering. These installations are located in IESCO, LESCO, MEPCO and FESCO.