UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 61 of 98
UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Net Metering
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2016
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectEnvironment and Ecology
- TopicMiscellaneous Environment and Ecology
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeDirect
‘Net metering’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the
Show answer
Answer: A. production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers
Verdict
The answer is production and use of solar energy by households and consumers. Net metering is a rooftop solar mechanism.
Analysis
Under net metering a consumer with rooftop solar generation exports surplus power to the grid, the meter records both import and export, and the consumer is credited for the exported units so that only the net consumption is billed. This is the principal financial incentive for rooftop solar adoption, which is why metering policy is discussed as a constraint on the sector's growth. Piped natural gas, CNG kits and water meters involve metered supply but none involves a consumer exporting back into the network.
Source
The Hindu report on metering policy and the rooftop solar sector.
How to crack it
The word net is doing the work, since it implies two flows being set off against each other, and that is only possible where the consumer is also a producer. Among the four options only electricity permits two way flow, because gas and water networks do not accept household supply. Reading a technical term for the physical arrangement it presupposes is quicker than recalling the policy, and it generalises to terms such as gross metering and feed in tariff.
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