► No need for a battery ► All generated energy is exported to KSEB (while the KSEB line is on), even while you're away from home ► Lower upfront investment, since battery cost is eliminated.
ON-GRID: POINTS TO CONSIDER
► Requires sanction from KSEB before installation.
► If the KSEB line is off, all generated energy is wasted — with no battery, there's nowhere for it to go.
► KSEB policy can change over time. Net-metering adjustments and tariff buy-back rates can shift, and not always in the customer's favour.
► If a fault occurs, KSEB's AE-level involvement is required to download inverter parameters before rectification can proceed.
► Only about 15% of a local transformer's capacity is typically allowed for export, so only a handful of households under any one transformer may get sanction.
► Peak-hour tariff structures may apply in future (commonly 5pm–9pm), at rates roughly three times higher. Since solar export happens during non-peak daylight hours, a household could end up exporting at a low rate and importing at a high one.
► Export only occurs within a defined voltage band (roughly 192V–264V) — outside that range, exporting stops.
► For three-phase connections, all three phases need to be within range and switched on for export to work.
► If the net meter itself faults, power to the home only resumes once it's replaced — and arranging, testing and getting KSEB approval for the replacement is the customer's responsibility, with no fixed timeline for how long that takes.
► For residential customers who can manage battery replacement over its lifespan, an off-grid system with battery storage may be the better fit for covering peak-hour usage.
► Off-grid inverters are generally simpler to maintain than on-grid inverters.
► After-sales support matters well beyond the warranty period — choose a vendor likely to still be in the market long-term, and capable of updating the system's software if needed.