The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is set to roll out a billing system that would allow electricity consumers supplement their purchase with other renewable energy sources.
The system is expected to reduce the cost of electricity on consumers while accelerating the country’s quest to move into green energy to tackle climate change.
“The net metering guidelines have been developed and by Friday, it will be on our website so that consumers of solar energy can key in how much they generate to the grid in terms of megawatts and how much they should be paying at the end of the day.
This is going to benefit consumers and lessen the burden on utility providers to ensure efficiency in distribution, aside other benefits to the country,” Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr Ishmael Ackah, said.
He was speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Accra yesterday to discuss the guidelines on the net metering system and quarterly tariff adjustment by the commission.
The engagement falls under the West Africa Energy Programme (WAEP) by the USAID which seeks to expand the supply of and access to affordable and reliable grid-connected electricity services in West and Central Africa with the ultimate goal of advancing economic growth, security and improved health and education outcomes.
According to Dr Ackah, the PURC was obliged by law to undertake quarterly review of utility tarrifs aside the major adjustment, done every three years.
He explained that the quarterly reviews were often based on macroeconomic indicator volatilities to ensure efficiency on the part of service providers and cushion consumers as well.
“Because these variables are volatile and not stable, if the changes occur and we don’t adjust it, it can hurt consumers and the utility providers.
If it affects providers negatively, it affects their ability to provide service to us and if it affects consumers, they are overburdened and can’t pay so that is why we do the quarterly reviews.”
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH AND CHARLOTTE BARNS
