Nagpur: The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) invited objections and suggestions on its suo motu draft order for determining the generic renewable energy tariff for 2026-27, which experts claimed included rates applicable to surplus and inadvertent power exported under net metering, gross metering, and net billing arrangements.Reacting to the development, solar consultant Sudhir Budhay urged rooftop solar owners across Maharashtra to actively participate in the consultation process before the March 20, 2026, deadline.
The draft order was issued under the MERC (Terms and Conditions for Determination of Renewable Energy Tariff) Regulations, 2019, and is available on the Commission’s website. Stakeholders can submit objections or suggestions in English or Marathi through the ‘E-Public Consultation’ tab on the MERC portal, by email, or in hard copy addressed to the commission’s office in Mumbai by 6pm on March 20. An e-public hearing will be conducted via video conference on March 24, 2026. Those wishing to be heard must mention it while filing submissions. No separate notice will be issued for the hearing.Budhay pointed out that this consultation follows MERC’s April 2025 order, where the commission fixed the rooftop solar generic tariff at ₹2.82 per kWh (kilowatt-hour). According to him, the rate was derived from tariffs discovered for large ground-mounted solar projects under schemes such as KUSUM and MSKVY, despite rooftop solar having significantly different and higher cost structures.“Rooftop solar systems are small-scale, decentralised installations. Their per-unit costs are higher compared to massive MW-scale solar farms. Equating both segments discourages investment in rooftop solar,” Budhay said.Explaining the mechanism, he said net metering is primarily designed to allow consumers to use their own solar power during the day and reduce electricity bills. Only surplus power — exported when generation exceeds consumption — is credited at the generic tariff. For example, if a 5 kW rooftop system generates 25 units in a day and the consumer uses 15 units while exporting 10 units, credit is given only for the 10 exported units. “This is not a commercial power-selling business, but fair compensation for unavoidable exports,” he added.Citing market evidence, Budhay said that rooftop projects for Railways and Metro installations discovered tariffs ranging from ₹3.25 to ₹4.35 per kWh. Similarly, REMCL rooftop auctions in 2017 yielded rates between ₹2.39 and ₹4.00 per kWh. “These figures show that rooftop solar economics differ from utility-scale solar farms. A fair tariff must reflect actual rooftop costs,” he said.With MERC now considering tariffs for FY 2026-27, Budhay appealed to rooftop solar owners and stakeholders to file their objections and suggestions before the deadline to ensure that the final tariff supports the sustainable growth of decentralised solar energy in Maharashtra.
