A group of solar energy users in Kerala has taken the fight to the High Court, accusing the state’s electricity board of charging them for something they never bought — power they generated and used themselves. The petition, filed by domestic solar prosumers, questions the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) for levying fixed charges on electricity that never touched the grid.
These are not large-scale power plants or commercial players. These are households and individuals who have installed on-grid rooftop solar systems and use part of the electricity directly within their homes or buildings. This “self-consumed” energy, they argue, is theirs — not the board’s.
Jameskutty Thomas, coordinator of the Kerala Domestic Solar Prosumers Committee, reportedly said the charges defy both logic and law. The Electricity Act, 2003, which governs the sector nationally, doesn’t mention such charges for self-generated consumption. Nor does any tariff order passed by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC), which regulates power pricing in the state.
According to the petitioners, the fixed charges are being collected even for electricity that is never supplied by KSEB. This, they say, goes against Section 45 of the Electricity Act, which lays down the rules for how power utilities can bill consumers. They also claim that calculating security deposits based on total energy consumption — including the solar units they produce and use themselves — is equally arbitrary.
The group has asked the High Court to direct KSERC to examine the complaints filed earlier by prosumers on this matter, and to make its stance clear through a proper regulatory decision. They’re also asking for a declaration that these charges are both illegal and unconstitutional — and want all such collections refunded.
More than the bills, the petition suggests that such charges could discourage ordinary citizens from investing in solar infrastructure, which Kerala has been promoting in recent years as part of its clean energy goals. If the court rules in favour of the prosumers, it could set a major precedent for solar policy in India — especially for individual users who don’t want to be penalised for going green.
