Delhi Discom to Trial Solar Power Trading Among Consumers

Delhi based Discom BRPL has announced that it will launch a block-chain based platform on trial basis for consumer-to-consumer solar power trading.

BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), one of the power distribution companies (Discom) in Delhi which caters to nearly 2.6 million customers in South and West Delhi has announced that it will launch a block-chain based platform on trial basis for consumer-to-consumer (or peer-to-peer) solar power trading.

The method can be used by consumers with rooftop solar power infrastructure to further monetize their investment. Consumers with rooftop solar infrastructure can sell their excess solar energy to their neighbours even if they do not have rooftop solar, said the BSES spokesperson.

BRPL has partnered with Australia’s Power Ledger, a global player in the block-chain technology, to launch the consumer-to-consumer solar power trading on a trial basis, a BSES spokesperson said. “The pilot project will initially be carried out among a select group of gated community solar consumers in Dwarka who generate around 5-6 MW of solar power,” he added.

The BRPL has become the first Discom in the country to use Power Ledger’s blockchain-based platform for peer-to-peer (P2P) solar trading, he claimed.

BRPL CEO Amal Sinha said the trial with Power Ledger will help BSES fully utilise clean energy.

Based on the outcome of the pilot project, the BSES and Power Ledger will expand the trial to include blockchain-enabled solutions for group net metering, virtual net metering, electric vehicle charging and virtual power plant applications, he added.

The consumers require no hardware device or investment to sign up for the Power Ledger platform. The technology utilises close to real-time data from smart meters to facilitate peer-to-peer trading.

In June, we reported that BRPL had signed a Power Supply Agreement (PSA) with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for procuring 500 MW Solar Power and 50 MW wind power.

In October, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had imposed penalties to the tune of Rs 2.88 crore each on BYPL and BRPL for defaulting on renewable energy purchase obligations (RPOs) for three financial years.