KEYS TO SAVE: How to lower the light ballot - the nation

Since December 2017, it is possible to redeem energy produced at home for a monthly monetary discount in the country.National Law 27.424 establishes that those who have solar panels installed in their homes or shops for their own consumption and are customers of electric power distributors, can choose to inject the surplus of energy produced to the network.

This injection is quantified through bidirectional meters, which detect the amount that occurs thus being able to sell to the distributor the surplus.Once installed, the injected energy is reflected in the invoice with the detail of the KWh consumed and returned according to the prices of each of them.

In the last year, 503 projects completed the installation and became users-generators, registering 5.216 KW installed and connected to the network by means of a bidirectional meter and the power reserve of 311 was approved, of which 74 have already requested meter change.

Self -consumption prioritization

El sistema “está pensado para el autoconsumo” por lo que “el instalador debería apuntar a tener poca inyección, como del 5 o 10%”, detalló Manuel Pérez Larraburu, Jefe de Producto de Eficiencia Energética & Renovables de BGH Eco Smart.However, when there is no one in the house or low amounts of energy are used, the one that is not used in the network can be injected.

The residential area is the one that most demands this type of service with 328 users-generators versus 153 of the industry, although the houses only generate 1150 kW compared to the 3580 kW of the industrial sector."That is because the industry pays greater value per unit of energy $/kWh, so the projects recover faster," he explained.

The amount that the individual receives in exchange for the energy it provides to the distributor is paid at the purchase price of the Wholesale Electric Market (MEM), which usually sells it to 70% of the value to which it later markets it.However, the objective of the law is not that individuals become energy suppliers but also have the option to make the power generated more.

How much to invest to obtain this benefit

To enter the world of solar panels at home, you have to understand how much the house or commerce consumes with the electricity invoices, evaluate the solar resources in the area and from that calculate how many panels correspond to place for each case.

In the homes, 5 kW are installed on average, made up of 12 450 WP panels that measure around 2 m² each, and a 5 kW investor.With that there is an energy production of approximately 8.000 kWh/year in Buenos Aires, exemplified the representative of BGH.This type of investment is recovered in 8 years, and after that period it saves 100% reinjected.

For this type of installation, he explained that in BGH its value “rounds at US $ 1.5 per watt peak installed.That is, if there are 5000 watts, we are talking about US $ 7000 of installation for a complete house ”.

In the case of solar frequency, they offer a proposal for a 3000W system that generates a monthly average of 450 kWh per month to $ 453.Massive 000.This value includes 12 panels of 285 w, the management under hand key modality that brings the installation of the system, a system communicated by app where it is reported how much it is generated and the management of the bidirectional meter with the signature of the enrolled professional.

The installation of solar panels can also be carried out in housing buildings.In the case of the real estate developer Mahe, they provide enough energy to feed 100% of the common luminaires of one of their buildings.“We use it for the common parts of the buildings, for example the palieres.In this case, Edesur has given us up to 2000 kW.We now have 3000 W installed, ”said Martín López -Mahe project manager.

Variables that modify consumption

Two main factors alter consumption in homemade energy production.On the one hand, the season of the year greatly influences the generation: “in a 450W average system, you can generate less than 200W in winter and in summer around 700W’, says Juan Mazzolene, founding partner of solar frequency.

The manager of Mahe commented that, in his case, “until now it is resulting between 20% less than the previous month because we are in winter and do not generate the same amount of energy as in the summer, when it went from saving 40% of the light".

On the other hand, Pérez Larraburu explained that each region pays a different value of energy: “There are regions that have more solar resource, which are Cuyo and El Norte Argentino, where each panel generates a little more and there are many more facilities than in areasof less return;And there are regions that pay more heat, such as the whole center of the country, Córdoba, the entire province of Buenos Aires except the AMBA, the entire coastline ”.He concluded that "then there is a very intrinsic relationship with the value of energy by region".

The current national law adhere to the provinces of Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Córdoba, Corrientes, La Rioja, Mendoza, Neuquén, Río Negro, San Juan, Tierra del Fuego, Tucumán and the Province and the City of Buenos Aires.Currently, there are a total of 186 distributors and registered cooperatives.

In Córdoba there are 282 users-generators who get 3.026.2 kW of power, and thus becomes the province that most uses this system according to the Ministry of Energy of the Nation.For a wide difference, they follow in the Buenos Aires ranking with 793 KW generated by 133 users and Mendoza with 712.2 kW generated by 28 users.

2x1: save the environment and pocket

Solar frequency is a company specialized in the area of solar energy and receives around 20 daily consultations looking for alternatives to obtaining electricity."There are different motivations to acquire the panels: there are people interested in a subject of sustainability, people for an economic issue or by guards of light cuts," says Juan Mazzolene.He comments that "demand gradually grows and we already have several clients who are connected to the network under this distributed generation scheme with bidirectional meters".

“The interesting thing is to understand that it is a technology that seeks to have an economic repair - one does it to consume less energy and therefore have to pay less - but it also has a very large impact on what is the variable of gas emission of gaseGreenhouse effect, which is something that today challenges humanity, ”said Pérez Larraburu.

How to request the bidirectional meter

For those who have an energy generation system in their homes and want.The process to become a user-generator is carried out through the Public Access Digital Platform of the Ministry of Energy Government.This procedure is the one authorized by the distributed generation team.

The Provincial Regulatory Entity, or failing that the provincial authority in charge of the control of distribution concessions is responsible for the control and control of the procedures associated with the authorization of connections by users.