NET METERING

  
NET METERING

Net metering is a system in which solar panels or other renewable energy generators are connected to a public utility power grid and surplus power is transferred onto the grid, allowing customers to offset the cost of power drawn from the utility. Examples of net metering installations include solar panels on a home or a wind turbine at a school. 

A grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) solar system may not store the electricity generated by rooftop solar energy systems to use at a later stage. If a solar power system produces more electricity than needed, in an area that is implementing net metering, the excess electricity flows back to the grid to serve nearby neighbours while the meter essentially runs backwards. 

These installations are connected to a special meter, which will measure the net quantity of electricity that the customer uses (retail meter).  The retail meter spins forward when the customer uses electricity from the distribution company, and it spins backward when the customer generates excess electricity (thereby “exporting” electricity to the electric grid.

(credit: Internet)

ICT/AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS POTENTIAL FOR MALAWIAN POWER SECTOR

NEED FOR CHANGE IN MALAWIAN POWER SECTOR

  There is urgent need for consumer focus approach in the overall Malawian power sector. It is imperative that the Electricity act do reflect this approach as follows: ·        Provisions for the overall improved and transparent  functioning of the retail supply business ·        Setting up a dedicated machinery for redress of grievances of consumers, enforceable standards of performance and consumer advocacy ·        Introduction of competition in retail supply. Need to open up competition in retail supply ·        Need for utility companies to introduce management tools that are divisional and departmental interlinked. This would ensure efficiency in correlated functions ·        Movement from usage of wooden to concrete distribution structures. These present long term cost effectiveness due to minimal downtime (pole replacement). Concrete substation structures would ensure no falling pole mounted transformer cases. 

   ICT SOLUTIONS IN MANAGEMENT OF A POWER UTILITY

    ICT applications in power utility management provides the capability to manage financial, asset, and cost accounting, production operations and materials, personnel, plants, and archived documents.   Use of ICT can improve quality and efficiency of the business. By keeping a company's internal business processes running smoothly, ICT solutions can lead to better outputs that may benefit the company, such as in customer service. These solutions can support upper level management by providing information for decision making. ICT management approaches create a more agile company that adapts better to change. It makes a company more flexible and less rigidly structured so organization components operate more cohesively, enhancing the business both internally and externally. ICT does improve data security. A common control system, such as the kind offered by ERP systems, allows organizations the ability to more easily ensure key company data is not compromised. 

MALAWI POWER SECTOR ISSUES THAT CAN BE MANAGED BY ICT SOLUTIONS

.1.   Demand Side Management

.1.1.    Robust statutory framework

.1.2.    Policy provisions

.1.3.    Regulatory initiatives

.1.4.    Time of day tariffs

.2.   System Smart Metering

.2.1.    Remote communication with meters

.2.2.    Pin pointing sources of losses

.2.3.    Load shedding hours can be loss based

.3.   Call Centre

.3.1.    Public image

.4.   SCADA

.4.1.    Distribution scada

.4.2.    Prompt fault response

.4.3.    Minimizing downtime

.5.   Procurement

.5.1.    E-tendering

.5.2.    Minimizing procurement inefficiencies

.5.3.    Curbed corruption