Thiruvananthapuram: The applications for rooftop solar plants in the state are being rejected as transformers have exceeded their total load.

The capacity of solar plants should be 75 percent of the transformer capacity in the area. If the capacity of the transformer is 100 KW, only 75 KW solar plants will be allowed to operate in the area. All the other applications will be rejected.

As the next phase of the rooftop solar project, the central government's Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is being implemented across the state. This is a more subsidised scheme for common people.

A total of 75,000 applications were received for the project, which started in March. Of these, around 30,000 applications were approved after a feasibility assessment. KSEB has responded that the application cannot be accepted as the limit of the transformer has been exceeded in certain places. The unavailability of net metres also hampers the permitting of plants.

In the meantime, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has recommended that solar plants be allowed up to 90 percent of the capacity of the transformer instead of 75 percent. No final decision has been taken in this regard. 

The voltage fluctuations caused by production at solar plants are affecting the stability of the grid in several areas. 

KSEB formed an internal study committee to study the technical and economic issues arising from the proliferation of solar power plants. The committee is headed by Kalamassery System Operation Circle Deputy Chief Engineer, N X Sunil.

As of March, plants installed in Kerala are generating 1009.29 MW of solar power. 1.27 lakh people have already installed rooftop solar plants.