The Power Department has said that 76 consumers in Mokokchung have installed 3 kW rooftop solar systems under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, while only 1,300 of the approximately 13,000 electricity consumers in Mokokchung town have installed smart meters so far.
On the sidelines of the Seva Setu Abhiyan camp in Mokokchung, Power Department officials led by Er Chutsusie Thowachu, Executive Engineer, Electrical Division, and Er. Achanger Aier, SDO, Mokokchung Electrical Subdivision, held a discussion with MT and TYY on concerns over smart meters, rooftop solar installations and the cost of electricity in Nagaland.
The department said smart meters were required for rooftop solar installations under the subsidised scheme, as the government wants consumers’ electricity connections to be linked online to verify that they are genuine beneficiaries.
Explaining the benefits of rooftop solar, Er Aier said the scheme would benefit individual households, the government and society as a whole by reducing electricity bills and the need to purchase power from outside the state.
“When we install the RTS, I pay less electricity bill because I generate a lot of solar energy. In the meantime, the government is also paying less electricity bill because they will buy less power,” Aier said.
He added that reduced electricity generation from conventional sources would mean less coal consumption and, consequently, less pollution.
The scheme comes under the Nagaland Solar Mission. Aier clarified that while the scheme is a Central government initiative, eligible households in Nagaland can avail of both Central and State subsidies.
When asked why consumers should supply surplus electricity to the grid instead of using all the power they generate themselves, the official explained that there were different types of solar systems, including grid-connected, hybrid and off-grid systems.
A grid-connected system allows consumers to use the electricity they generate and export surplus power to the grid, while a hybrid system includes battery storage.
The official said consumers who wanted to install solar systems on say, a farm without an electricity connection, they would need an off-grid system, which they would have to purchase on their own without the subsidy arrangement described by the department.
Aier added that consumers seeking government subsidies had to meet certain criteria, including installing a smart meter and linking their electricity connection online so that the government could verify their eligibility.
“Without a smart meter, RTS cannot be installed,” Thowacha said.
Citing a consumer’s experience, the official said a monthly electricity bill that had ranged from Rs 800 to Rs 970 had come down to around Rs 230 after the installation of rooftop solar and the export of surplus electricity to the grid.
The Power Department said it aimed to install smart meters for all electricity consumers in Mokokchung town, but had faced some resistance.
When concerns were raised that smart meters were costlier than the meters currently in use, the department maintained that consumers would pay for the electricity they actually consumed.
“Whatever has been consumed and utilised, you will pay for it,” the department said.
The department said the perception that smart meters lead to higher electricity bills was a misconception, explaining that consumers often did not realise how much electricity they consumed when using analogue meters.
Aso Jamir, founder of Native Enterprises, also described the allegation that smart meters result in very high bills as a myth.
“People have this allegation that if we use smart meters, billing will be very high. It is just a myth,” Jamir said.
He said people had been using analogue meters for generations and often consumed electricity lavishly without fully realising how much they were using.
The department said its target was to install smart meters for all consumers in Mokokchung town. However, rooftop solar installations would depend on consumers willing to adopt the system.
Jamir also challenged the perception that solar power would not work in hilly towns such as Kohima and Mokokchung.
“One thing I have been noticing is another myth that solar won’t work in Kohima and Mokokchung because they are hilly,” he said.
Jamir said the two towns could be suitable for rooftop solar because many households do not use air conditioners, adding that a 3 kW system could be sufficient for their needs.
He also said solar panels could generate electricity during rainy and cloudy days, although the amount generated would depend on sunlight.
When asked why electricity charges per unit in Nagaland were higher than in other states, the Power Department explained that the state generated only around 24 MW of electricity, while its requirement was approximately 200 MW. It therefore had to purchase the remaining power from other states.
The department said the cost of purchased electricity depended on the generating stations, with some supplying power at rates of up to Rs 10 per unit. If the state sold that electricity at Rs 6 per unit, it would incur a loss.
Asked whether the state’s limited electricity generation was responsible for the higher cost, the department said it was one of the factors.
The department also said it purchased electricity worth around Rs 600 crore annually from different generating stations but collected only about Rs 200 crore in revenue.
Explaining other factors considered when fixing electricity tariffs, the department cited the limited number of generating stations and the lack of industries and high-consuming electricity users in Nagaland.
It said larger states had more industries and high-consuming users who paid higher electricity bills, helping them recover costs and support lower-consuming sections of society.
Referring to Delhi, the department said electricity was provided free for consumption of up to 200 units, while higher-consuming users paid more, helping recover the costs.
The department said it was difficult to adopt the same approach in Nagaland.