Entities and users of solar panels They called on the Superintendence of Electricity (SIE) to prioritize the defense of consumers Instead of favoring large corporations and electrical distributors.
Various entities linked to distributed generation of energy presented to the SIE a document in which they express their unified position on the regulation proposed for the installation of solar panels on roofs of homes and industries.
In a press release, they point out that the regulation that the SIE must approve must have the purpose of protecting, promoting and regulating the distributed generationas ordered by Law 57-07 on Renewable Energy Incentives and Special Regimes of May 7, 2007, and protect the consumers according to the nature of the SIE.
They consider that “no one has to ask permission to install solar panels on the roof of your house” and “much less if you do not intend to inject electricity into the distribution companies.”
“This situation is an indicator of very limited development, and that the popular sectors, which are the majority of the population and users, are excluded from distributed generation”Release
The entities who make the call are:
- The Association of Owners of Solar Panels (Adupas)
- The Association of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Companies (Aseefeer)
- The RD100% Renewable coalition
They claim that this regulation recognize and guarantee the right of every person to benefit from the Sun without prior permission and without any payment for using it. rightas well as recognizing the right of all people to have access to electricity and the obligation of the Dominican State to guarantee this right.
Likewise, in the document deposited, it is stated that this regulation must include the ratification of the net metering as a norm of equitable relationship between users with solar panels in roofs and the providing companies.
“It is understood as net metering that the users of solar panels in roofs will receive the same price for the electricity that they inject into the networks that for the electricity that they consume and pay to the distribution companies,” they explained.
They advocate the massification of solar panels on roofs
They indicate that the energy distributed has had low development in the country and they cite the fact that in the 17 years since Law 57-07 on Renewable Energy Incentives was enacted, only 16,707 users have installed solar panels on roofs, which represents 0.53% of all customers.
They highlighted that of these 16,707 users with solar panels, Only a hundred are in the low consumption sector, of less than 700 kilowatts per hour (kWh) per month, being the customer segment that covers 98% of all the customers of the Electricity Distribution Companies (EDE).
“This situation is an indicator of a development very limited, and that popular sectors who are the majority of the population and usersare excluded from the distributed generation“, they maintain.
They highlight that this proposal regulation of the SIE has a control focus that obviates the need to increase the distributed generation given the national energy situation.
“We want the result of the observations and discussions around the proposal to achieve massification of the energy distributedthereby improving the quality of life of the population and the competitiveness of companies,” says the note.
Counterproductive measures
In the deposited document, the entities criticize and reject a series of provisions contained in the regulation proposed by the SIE that “violate the right of property”, the constitutional principle of non-retroactivity and restrict the user’s ability to install as many panels as needed for their consumption.
They refute that the users low voltage cables are charged a charge for the use of the electrical networksas well as the users of higher consumption are charged for power injection, when they already pay for power of demand.
“We have observed that the power does not determine the consumption of energy of any client. Neither the power defines the capacity to supply self-consumption with a photovoltaic plant. This is a disguised way to charge these customers for the use of the electrical networks“, they point out in the communication.
In that order, they also express their disagreement with the fact that the distributors only pay 75% of the annual credit accumulated by the user, keeping 25% without any justification, and pay this electricity to the client at a much lower price than what he paid for it to the EDE.
They rate the regulation of the SIE of “anti solar panels“and assure that “all sanctions contained in the regulation are aimed at the users“and none of these sanctions to companies providing electrical service.
