West Bengal Sets New Rooftop Solar Rules to Empower Prosumers
West Bengal has become the latest Indian state to formalise rules for grid-interactive rooftop solar, issuing regulations on August 18 that could reshape how households and small businesses engage with the power sector. The West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) said the new framework aims to encourage “prosumers”—consumers who also generate electricity—to feed surplus power into the grid under more transparent conditions.
The regulations come as rooftop solar adoption remains patchy across India, despite ambitious national targets. West Bengal’s power demand is heavily urbanised, concentrated in Kolkata and industrial belts. Until now, the absence of clear net-metering norms has stymied uptake, with many households unwilling to invest in rooftop systems given uncertainty...