The
National Association for Consumer Protection has been inundated with complaints
from citizens who have embraced solar energy for years, expressing frustration
over being deprived of their stored or recycled kilowatt-hours over the past
three years. This issue is aggravated by the substantially high installation
costs compared to current rates, without any form of support from relevant
authorities.
اضافة اعلان
Mohammad
Obeidat, the association's president, has voiced serious concerns regarding a
decision made by the Ministry of Energy about two years ago, which added an
extra two dinars per kilowatt to monthly system bills. This decision resulted
in a staggering 160 percent surge in bills, pushing the minimum monthly charge
from approximately JD5 to JD13, with additional fees escalating as consumption
increases. This situation is viewed as unjust, considering the considerable
financial investment made by consumers in this service.
Furthermore,
Obeidat told
Jordan News “Despite
citizens paying fees or rental
substitutes to accumulate a storage balance for winter heating, they face an
unfair decision that nullifies or writes off 90 percent of this balance after
three years, leaving them with only 10 percent of their total storage.”
Questioning
the fate of the canceled balance and its potential unauthorized sale, he
demanded the protection of citizens' rights by revoking the oppressive decision
and restoring the deprived energy accumulated over the years for heating
purposes, especially amid
rising electricity prices.
He
criticized “The regulations governing the sale of energy from renewable energy
systems, calling for their amendment. He highlighted the unfairness and lack of
equity in these regulations, emphasizing the legislative responsibility to
ensure fairness between parties involved in exchange processes, without
favoring the powerful at the expense of vulnerable citizens facing challenging
economic circumstances.”
Both old
news and new news
Energy
expert Amer Al-Shobaki told
Jordan News "This issue is both old and
new at the same time, as there is a restriction on the uptake of renewable
energy instead of striving to increase the adoption of these systems by
citizens and providing facilities for installing renewable energy systems.
Since the government imposed two dinars per kilowatt-hour from renewable energy
systems, this restriction has burdened citizens who own these systems, and they
no longer feel the difference between adopting these renewable energy systems
and the old system."
Shobaki
emphasized that in "
Recycling stored energy, the company calculates 10
percent of the electricity from the surplus electricity, which is a clear
injustice to the interests of citizens, as the system imposes large amounts on
citizens in light of the difficult economic conditions we are experiencing.
Therefore, no one has the right to take more than the stored electricity except
at the normal price, and only 10 percent is calculated." He said that the
solutions lie in obtaining approvals, which are in the hands of the government.
He emphasized “We now see that approvals are being intervened by
electricity distribution companies, leading to a monopoly on the rights of citizens in
favor of these companies. Additionally, there is a significant role for the
Energy Regulatory Commission, which can intervene in this file and regulate the
relationship between citizens and electricity companies."
On-grid
v. off-grid systems
Furthermore,
Alaa Jomhour, a project manager specializing in the energy sector and critical
power supply, told
Jordan News that "Jordanian companies provide
mainly two types of solar system solutions an off-grid system that relies on
solar/batteries, a second type called an on-grid system, which relies on solar
power during the day, and electricity distributor companies when the sun is
down. It is facing the downside that it may sometimes be ineffective,
especially in winter. While most systems are on-grid, there is no other option
to reconnect them to
electrical storage systems and to provide power from
batteries.”
And as
to why people can’t fully benefit from their solar systems, he added “The main
goal of each electricity company is to gain profit and sell the power, while
people can only maintain an on-grid system to meet their needs, so if a system
is annually producing more by day than what has been consumed by night, there
will be no recompense on that matter. Initially.”
There
will be a solution so long as legislation makers want to adopt it
Jomhour
said “For sure there will be a solution for a better future as long as
legislation makers want to adopt and grow the green energy market in Jordan. As
a promising application, energy storage systems could be integrated with a
hybrid system that consists of a diesel generator with the already mentioned
systems on/off-grid to protect against any kind of power failure. We provide
such systems, but at a higher cost, so it is not a feasible solution for the
majority of people.”
Furthermore,
there is a continuous decline in the adoption of solar energy systems. With
some difficulties with procedures, approvals, and last year an increment on the
monthly electricity bill of about JD15, whether the system has been working or
not, a small house will have no benefit from installing such a system.
Currently,
around 150 licensed companies are working in the field, compared to hundreds
previously. Moreover, the returns for private companies in installing
small-scale systems for households are not profitable unless they are installed
in factories, huge households, or for big companies.”
Additionally,
Jordan’s market is still young and promising, and with international solar
panels, battery advancements daily, and new legislation, there will still be
hope for a brighter future.
Meanwhile,
Mohammad Dado President of the
Renewable Energy Establishments Society (REES)
told
Jordan News “Energy and Mineral Regulatory Commission (EMRC) issued
an instruction that affects the owners of the
renewable energy system. In this instruction, 90 percent of the
accumulated exported electrical energy to the grid is canceled every three
years. This canceled energy is generated
by the owners of these systems and they own it. “
“They
inject the electricity into the grid and the electricity companies sell it back
to other customers and gain earnings instantly.
This energy is not stored in batteries and there is no storage cost at
all. There is no reason why the owners
of the system shouldn't get compensation for this exported energy.”
*Please
note:
Jordan News has contacted the Energy Regulatory Commission for a
statement.
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