Rawalpindi Resident Becomes First Pakistani to Sell Electricity to Grid & Save Thousands

Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has launched a project that will enable the generation of electricity through solar power and to sell it to consumers.

The project costs about Rs. 3,00,000 and it is expected to generate 3 kilowatt of electricity daily.

IESCO Starts Net Metering in ISB/RWL

In addition to this, IESCO has started the net metering system in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Through this net metering system, consumers can produce their own electricity via solar power and use it for their needs.

In fact if the consumers have excess amount of electricity, they can sell it to IESCO as well.

Power_Solar
Photo Credits: Dunya News

This new project was prompted by the efforts of Air Commodore Muhammad Rashid Ramay, a resident of Rawalpindi. He had sought permission from IESCO through an application to generate electricity through solar meter and has now become the first person to sell surplus electricity to IESCO.

If the consumer chooses to keep their regular IESCO connection, they can avail some concessions in their monthly bills. Experts believe that the net metering system could help consumers save up to Rs. 5,000-Rs.8,000 on your monthly bills this way.

I save around Rs 5,000 every month in my electricity bill – Rashid Ramay

Concluding Thoughts

This is a great step by the government and IESCO and it should help reduce power shortages in the country. By ensuring that electricity consumers can also become sellers, this move is expected to increase the use of solar energy solutions in the country. Its environmentally friendly and if adopted on a larger scale, the country’s oil import bills can also decrease.

The government for its part needs to give more incentives to consumers who want to go solar. This can be done in the form of subsidies for solar power equipment or the abolishment/minimizing of taxes for the same.

Net metering is used extensively in most countries and it is a great way to either store energy and use it later, or sell it to the government in order to reduce your bills. The success of net metering in Pakistan, however, remains a mystery and only time will tell how useful it turns out to be.

via: Dunya News


  • What is the process for getting this kind on meter for a civilian orbits just for powerful people

    • No, you don’t have to be powerful. Just submit and application with IESCO for the reversible meter, spend few days running after them(unfortunately this is the only way to do things in Pakistan) and you will have it installed. Else, find a meter wala, he will ask you for about 10-15k (‘facilitation charges’) and he will have it installed at your premises. Its totally worth it though. A 5 KVA system will probably send 80% of the produced power back to Grid in daytime as there is hardly an consumption during day time.

  • Net metering… Cool.
    I will like to invest 10 lacs if they really gonna pay you back in profits… :)

  • Manufacturing of Solar Panels and batteries is not ‘environment friendly’ and final product is barely an energy source. I doubt one can earn much money by selling it to Supply Companies. One way to decrease country’s oil import bills is to dig oil from our own soil.

    • Outside the subcontinent 300,000 would be right because they have no such concept as a ‘lakh’. So they use commas to denote the nominations they have words for, like: thousands (1,000), millions (1,000,000), billions (1,000,000,000), trillions (1,000,000,000,000), etc.. In this subcontinent we have both, a concept and a nomination for ‘lakh’. So 3,00,000 is correct.

  • Dear author, It’s air cdre (R) RashEEd Ramay. Anyone interested in getting the system or wants to see it work before making an investment can contact Rasheed Ramay on 03345555690

  • Well, Is this really profitable?

    He spent Rs 300,000 to generate 3Unit per day (expected), which means 90 Units a month.

    90 Units x Rs15/unit = Rs 1,350/month

    So, he will recover his cost (300,000) in

    300,000/1350 = 222 Months = 18 years?

    What about batteries, maintenance costs which needs to be done after every 1-2 years.

    Mr. Rasheed Ramay, mentioned that he saves upto Rs 5000 per month, how is it possible by producing 90 or 100 Units maximum? Even if he saves Rs 5000 per month, he needs 60months to cover up his cost but that doesn’t include any maintenance, batteries & other costs :(

    Please reply if I did some wrong calculations?

    • Mudassar u r rite. i have setup capable of around 15kwh/day in summer and more in winter but saving mentioned above is not real.
      I usually consume 11kwh daily rest is not used but system is just about to be of max requirement in summer. i used to get 300kwh in previous months.
      I live in kasur city.

      • Mr.Saad Tufail we had home town in kasur we installed a system for agriculture submersible pump of 15 hp mooter which working very efficiently.
        Main point to consume the output 100% so that why netmetering is good for that

        • I personally know some in Kasur & other regions, they installed but their comment is they waste their money on this system. The cost they spent on this system can easily sufficient for 3-5 years of wapda bill.

          • @mianraheelaslamchhachhar:disqus You are right. We should get max ROI from solar by having net metering. my point above was only to correct figures.
            @mudassar788:disqus When you have under rated system then most probably it is going to fail. all those who failed relied on installer who possibly cheated to get their money. I myself installed everything from scratch and now have 2940watt system with 3kVA inverter and system is working wonderful.
            well if WAPDA comes then it will cover but you will have desi UPS to handle load-shedding and keep spending on UPS and batteries. all is to have a proper technical review then it should work as mine is working.

    • I think you might have ..

      3kW is 3 units per hours (1kWh = 1 unit), so say sunlight is available for 6 hours then you’re off by a factor of 6 (i.e. 90 x 6 = 540 units per month)

      • Bilal no it’s not. In the article it’s written

        “The project costs about Rs. 3,00,000 and it is expected to generate 3 kilowatt of electricity daily.”

        Which means 3 units per day, not per hour.

        • Might be an oversight. Kilowatt is a flow. 3kWh daily (3 units) would mean a 500W system. That’s really small – won’t power anything really. And kind of pricey for 300,000.

        • What author meant installed panels are of 3000 W .and yes they will produce around 600 units a month

        • Its not technically correct that system can oroduce 3 unit a day it can produce much more than 3 unit as per investment three hundered thousand

        • Bro,

          Authors clearly mentioned that this system can produce 3kw per day which means 3 unit. I have some friends who installed solar system, but all said that this is not feasible & much lower that commitments & advertised claims.

          “The project costs about Rs. 3,00,000 and it is expected to generate 3 kilowatt of electricity daily.”

          • kW is unit of power kWh is unit of energy, according to author it is 3kW a day which means 3kW(10h) (if we take a day=10h) = 30kWh = 30 units. (1 kWh = 1 unit,1 kW=/= 1 unit)

            • Mustafa, Ok, what about efficiency. Solar systems hardly gives 40% of their capacity in favorable conditions. So, 3kWh will run at around 1kWh? For just around 8-10hrs. Right?

    • Need no batteries in that kind of system.only about 400 amp battery for night time backup while load shedding.
      Second thing this system turned off when your line is on load shedding,at that time your batteries are going to be charged and ups appliances are running only
      I installed this type of grid tie invertor about 3 years back in lahore but no net metering in Lahore.
      If you can afford it this system is worth to install.
      For further info. 03214434531
      Mian Raheel Aslam.

    • yes, mudassar you r absolutely right.
      some people detrack the innocent people of this country. I could not understand how they claim and why our govt; support solar system for this poor nation. looters in this country make plans like this.
      the only solution I’d hydro generation

      • I appreciate. Solar Energy is most costly source of energy & only applicable where there is no other source available like Water, Air, Oil etc.

        I too don’t understand why govt is intended on Solar energy, only reason maybe Shareef Co is behind these contracts & making billions by looting people :/

        • Lack of information about solar setup..
          please do not comment if you really do not have good idea. this may discourage people.
          I have setup with 3000 watt and having around 15kw/day..

    • It’s actually 900 units/month. 3kWD=30kWh or 30 units a day. (taking a day=10h (from dawn to dusk))

    • A 3kw system means it generates 3units/hour NOT per day. So if 8hours sunshine that makes is 8×3=24units per day. I have corrected you, now do the whole math again and guide the nation.

  • Do pesco support net metering? I’m interested in this project. In summer there is almost 10 hours sunshine. A 3kw system will generate 800-900 units per month. Which can reduce the electricity bill to a great extent.

    • no place in world have 10 hours of sunlight with regards to solar power. Pakistan has 5-6 hours.

  • How this selling back to IESCO system works?
    Does surplus power goes back on the same line as wapda or you sell it your neighbor …

    • Atif down below explained a bit but its not fully clear … how electricity reach back to grid …

  • If done properly, like it’s being done in UK/USA, this shall be a success.

    My formula would be to have a battery less solar system, produce excess and sell it back to the Grid in the day, and get credits for night time use.

  • Currently, net-metering will be less desirable because of high load shedding. You can produce surplus but cannot export during load shedding. Wait for no load shedding particularly during solar hours.

  • I just saw this tonight in PP. Glad for this start, where other DISCOS as KE are still non responsive, as well as NEPRA. My request on line to NEPRA with meeting the requirements of regulatory requirements. Seek PP help to please put a story for KE. I have a three phase meter, domestic, with complete dues paid. Mother unwell on bed, and we need urgently, a human cconsideration to consider concession for senior citizen, for this previlege. Not replied/responded by KE, NEPRA. Its aout 4 months now. May be the regulator may listen to PP.


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