The first of the physical public hearings held by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) on its draft renewable energy regulations has drawn a fresh round of protests against the proposals, with prosumers calling them harmful to both their interests and the overall push for renewable energy in Kerala.
As in the online hearings held in July, prosumers urged the Commission to do a re-think on the proposals. They strongly opposed the draft, which contained proposals for restricting the Net Metering System (NMS) to 3 kW, imposing a ‘grid support charge’ of ₹1 for every unit of renewable energy exported to the grid and certain conditions related to battery storage.
The criticisms were aired at a public hearing on the draft KSERC (Renewable Energy and Related Matters), 2025, held by the Commission headed by T.K. Jose in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (October 22, 2025). This was the first of four physical hearings planned by the KSERC across Kerala, following a court ruling on a public interest litigation filed by the Domestic On-Grid Solar Prosumers Forum.
‘Availed loans’
Individual prosumers who presented their case before the three-member Commission said they had availed loans to install rooftop solar units placing their trust in the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), but the draft regulations would render their investments unprofitable.
The prosumers also told the KSERC that it is unfair to hold them accountable for instabilities in the grid and low transformer capacities when these are the responsibilities of the KSEB as a State power utility.
“The draft has left us confused. It cannot be seen as supportive of ordinary prosumers,” Shiju Varghese, a prosumer, told the hearing. He and several other prosumers described the proposed grid support charge as “unheard of” and regressive. Several prosumers who planned to scale up their rooftop solar capacities in future expressed their concern that the draft proposals, if implemented, would render them unviable.
Baijuraj R.S., who has installed a 5 kW unit, said the draft proposals would reduce the acceptability of solar power in the State. Another prosumer, a retired soldier, informed the KSERC that he has been advised not to go for a scale-up of his solar unit given the uncertainties posed by the draft proposals. Sreekumar S., a prosumer, sought a favourable decision for prosumers from the KSERC pointing out that they had chosen to install rooftop solar units by taking loans and placing their trust in the KSEB’s argument that it would be a gainful proposition for them.
Wrong interpretation
On its part, the KSERC was critical of some of the speakers who based their arguments on hearsay evidence or wrong interpretation of the draft. The Commission pointed out that the draft has been accessible on its website since May 30 this year. Moreover, the online hearings in July attended by hundreds of stakeholders had been webcast live.
In July this year, the Commission had held a series of well-attended online hearings on the draftKSERC (Renewable Energy and Related Matters) Regulations, 2025. But the Kerala High Court had directed the Commission to hold physical hearings in four locations. The remaining physical hearings will be held at Ernakulam (October 28), Palakkad (October 29) and Kozhikode (October 30).
Published – October 22, 2025 05:36 pm IST
