The Russian government has introduced, this week, a new net metering scheme for solar and other renewable energy generators not exceeding 15 kW in size.
The new provisions come into force a year after a related law was signed and two years after Russia’s State Duma–the lower house of parliament–unanimously adopted a draft law developed by the Ministry of Energy.
Under the net metering regime, which is open to both private citizens and businesses, PV system owners will be allowed to sell surplus power to their respective power distributors at a price of between RUB1.7 and 2 per kilowatt-hour ($0.022-0.026).
“An immense demand may come from small enterprises working in regions with electricity prices at 6-10 rubles per kilowatt-hour and those regions, mostly in the south and far east, [which] claim to have high irradiation level that makes the solar power economically viable,” Anton Usachev, president of the Russian Solar Energy Association, told pv magazine.
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According to him, Russia has, currently, an installed residential PV capacity of around 40 MW. “In 2020, around 13 MW of PV modules were bought by individuals,” he also revealed.
The plan to launch net metering in Russia dates back to early 2017.
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How can net metering work with a price of electricity of 2.6 ct/kWh?
The generating cost of power from small PV-arrays are about 4-times higher. Can you answer my question, Emiliano?
Hi Alfred, here the answer to your question from Anton Usachev, president of the Russian PV association.
“Net metering scheme is available not only for individuals but also for small enterprises connected to the grid at low voltage level 0.4 kV. In some south regions suffering from power shortages, the tariff for small enterprises is about 10-11 RUB per kWh (approx. 6.8 ct). So thanks to net metering if a PV system owner feeds electricity into the grid and then uses kWhs stored on his balance he saves 6.8 ct per each injected kWh. But if there is a surplus as a result of consumption and generation volumes his enterprise will be paid an 2.2-2.6 ct per each kWh of surplus power generated. If wholesale market electricity prices surge in the future so the remuneration rates will see a rise too.”
Dear Emiliano,
thanks for your reply.
Anton Usachev writes that the tariff for small enterprises is about 10-11 RUB per kWh (approx. 6.8 ct). So for each solar kWh solar you use in your household you save, say 10 Rb.
According to https://www.currexy.com/currency-converter/usd/rub
the exchange rate is 0.0135 USD per Rb, or 13.5 ct per 10 Rb. If you can 25% of your produced PV-power in your household and soll the remaining 75% to the grid for say 5 ct/kW, the average income per kWh is (0.25*13.5+0.75*5) = 7.0 ct/kWh. This is little money for paying back the investment of say 1500 USD per kWp. I don’t think this will work economically.
Regards, Alfred