The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission on Tuesday issued a revised tariff order and operating guidelines designed to promote the use of solar power at electric vehicle charging stations across the state. The move follows its December 5, 2024, tariff order and aims to align charging costs with solar-generation availability.
Under the new structure, charging stations will pay 0.70 times the Average Ruling Tariff (ART) for power drawn between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.—the designated “solar hours”—and 1.30 times the ART for electricity used outside those hours. Stations with either low-tension or high-tension connections are exempt from fixed and demand charges under the revised schedule.
The guidelines mirror the Ministry of Power’s 2024 national framework, encouraging operators to prioritize daytime charging when solar output is highest and to limit grid dependence after sunset. KSERC expects this price signal to shift a substantial portion of EV charging load onto solar generation.
For billing, any solar energy exported to the grid during solar hours may offset imports in the same period at no extra cost. Exports in non-solar hours can likewise be adjusted against imports without charges. Surplus exported energy in solar hours can also offset non-solar-hour imports using a 7:13 multiplication factor, with no grid-support fees.
Unutilized surplus at the close of a billing cycle may be banked through March 31 under current settlement rules, subject to a 5 percent banking charge plus any applicable grid-support levy. Remaining energy once banking ends will be settled at the Average Power Purchase Cost or another KSERC-approved rate. Charging stations may also install battery energy storage systems to store daytime solar output for use after dark.
The new tariffs and procedures take effect immediately and will remain until KSERC issues further orders. The commission has urged all EV charging operators, including those run by the Kerala State Electricity Board, to offer incentives that steer drivers toward solar-hour charging.
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