KERC draft regulations for DSPV mandates battery storage for solar system above 10 kW

Key points

• Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) has released the Draft Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grid Interactive Distributed Solar Photovoltaic (DSPV) Plants) Regulations, 2026, which mandate installation of batteries for DSPV plants above 10 kW capacity and allow installation of solar panels on building facades and group metering.
• The proposed regulations will eventually replace the existing Rooftop Solar Regulations of 2016. Consumers installing DSPV systems above 10 kW capacity under specified metering arrangements will be required to install hybrid inverters and battery energy storage systems with minimum storage capacity equivalent to 20% of the plant’s generation potential, as per the draft regulation.
• “When batteries are installed, they store the excess power trapped.
• Usually fewer people stay at home in the afternoons hence the consumption of energy is low.
• Once they return from home in the evening, they can use power from batteries instead of drawing from the grid.