LAHORE: The National Electricity Power Regulatory Authority has issued 15 net metering licences to 15 Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) consumers-cum-solar energy system owners as the project formally started in the provincial metropolis.

The Chief Minister’s House is among the first 15 licensees out of 35 applicants.

Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. For example, if a residential customer has a PV system on home’s rooftop, it may generate more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours. In an area that has net metering system, the excess electricity flows back to the grid and the customer’s meter essentially runs backwards.

A Lesco official says that domestic consumers could enter into the business by getting the solar panel system installed in the jurisdiction of the company. He says that the staff concerned has been imparted special training to understand and operate the system well.

According to a report, the Chief Minister’s House had got licence for a 3-kilowatt power generation, a former Lesco chief (Rao Zameer) for 5-kilowatt, Nishat group for 450 kilowatt and Beaconhouse Canal Campus for 10-kilowatt.