Shock for others, but solar consumers get ‘0’ power bills

Though inflated electricity bills for June came as a shock for most city consumers, those who use rooftop solar power have had net-zero electricity bills over the past three months. A net-zero electricity bill means the consumer has to pay only basic charges or metre cost to the electricity distributor.

KG Mittal College of Arts and Commerce in Malad, Maharashtra College of Arts, Science and Commerce (MCASC) in Nagpada, two residential bungalows in Versova, and the Noorani Masjid in Pathanwadi all shared with HT copies of their net zero bills for April, May and June. All these buildings have managed their power consumption through rooftop solar projects, which have provided the consumers with a free source of renewable energy that does not cause pollution and instead reduces carbon emissions.

“After our installation last year, we have reduced 21.1 tons of carbon emissions in environmental benefits while saving 9,500 units of electricity using solar power. That amounts to Rs 45,000 surplus, which is adjusted against our monthly bills. This was a major reason for a net zero bill,” said Dr SB Arya, director, KG Mittal College, which has a 45 kilowatt-power (kWp) project with 71 panels.