Direct answer. To compare Gujarat open-access solar with grid power, use the cost per unit delivered to the factory. Add the PPA price, applicable network charges, losses, surcharges and banking. Check each item against the order for that billing period. A generator’s quoted price alone is not the factory’s landed cost.
Who can use green open access in Gujarat?
Green energy open access lets an eligible consumer procure renewable power from a generator and use the grid to carry it to its meter. It is not the same as a rooftop array behind that meter. The Ministry of Power’s parliamentary answer dated 3 February 2025 explains the national rule: a consumer can qualify with 100 kW or more of contracted demand or sanctioned load through one connection, or qualifying aggregated connections within the same distribution division. Captive consumers have no minimum load limitation under that national rule. The final application still follows Gujarat’s implementing regulation and grid process.
GERC’s Green Energy Open Access Regulations, Notification 08/2024 dated 20 February 2024, define the Gujarat application, energy accounting and charges. The regulation was amended after 2024, including its 2026 banking provisions. A buyer should identify the current consolidated route and whether it is a third-party PPA, individual captive or group-captive arrangement. A label in a sales deck does not establish captive status under the Electricity Act and rules.
Check the factory’s own connection first. Record the licensee, voltage, contract demand, demand charges and interval consumption. An HT factory on DGVCL may face different network and tariff lines from an LT unit or a Torrent consumer. The HT versus LT solar guide explains why voltage and demand matter. Open access should be evaluated against the actual retail bill, not a state-wide average unit price.
The route also needs a generator, injection point, network path and scheduling arrangement. The generator may be on separately owned land. GETCO, the state load despatch centre (SLDC), the DISCOM and other relevant agencies have distinct roles. A rooftop project on the same premises may use a simpler physical route. The buyer should therefore compare an approved rooftop possibility with an approved off-site proposal, not a rooftop quote against an off-site headline PPA rate.
Use the Delivered-Unit Ledger: identify each unit at injection, account for losses to delivery, apply charges to the correct energy base, then add contract and settlement costs. This ledger is the central tool for comparing offers. If the seller cannot show it, the apparent low power rate is incomplete.
Which Gujarat charges belong in a landed-cost model?
Start with the generation or PPA price. That is negotiated or discovered through the specific commercial route; GERC’s network orders do not make it a universal factory price. For a captive plant, the equivalent line may be the project’s own levelised generation cost, with financing, land, operation and maintenance treated consistently. Keep this commercial line distinct from regulated network charges.
Next add transmission if the power uses GETCO’s network. The GERC GETCO MYT order, Case 2419/2024 dated 29 March 2025, approves 37.18 paise per kWh for short-term users in FY 2026-27 and ₹3,858.96 per MW per day for the long or medium-term transmission tariff in that year. Those are different charging structures. Do not add both to one transaction. The same order approves a 3.37% transmission-loss level for FY 2026-27.
Then add distribution wheeling when the DISCOM network is used. The DGVCL FY 2026-27 tariff order, Case 2581/2025 dated 25 March 2026, Chapter 9, sets 23.52 paise per kWh for 11, 22 and 33 kV wheeling and 111.05 paise per kWh at 400 V. It lists open-access distribution-loss factors by delivery voltage, including 6.50% at 11, 22 and 33 kV and 6.71% for the stated HT-to-LT path. These figures apply to the four state-owned DISCOMs under that order, not automatically to every private licensee.
The same DGVCL order sets the FY 2026-27 HT cross-subsidy surcharge at ₹1.33 per kWh for the four state-owned DISCOMs after the tariff-policy cap. The GERC 2024 open-access regulation says this surcharge is not levied on qualifying captive generation carried for the generator’s own use. A buyer should have captive eligibility verified before removing the line. The cross-subsidy surcharge glossary defines the charge; the exact exemption depends on the approved structure.
Additional surcharge is more conditional. GERC Order 05 of 2026 dated 10 September 2026 sets ₹0.99 per kWh for 1 October 2026 through 31 March 2027 for consumers of DGVCL, MGVCL, PGVCL and UGVCL availing power through open access. The 2024 green open-access regulation also says additional surcharge is not applicable to the extent the consumer maintains contract demand with the DISCOM, and it excludes qualifying captive use. The buyer should ask which quantum, if any, actually attracts it under its approved arrangement. The open-access glossary provides the wider context.
How should losses and banking enter the calculation?
Losses mean a generator must inject more than one unit for the buyer to receive one unit after the relevant networks. A quote that adds only the nominal transmission and wheeling fees can still understate the delivered cost if it prices generation at injection. The model should show the energy measured at injection, each approved loss factor and the resulting energy credited at the drawal point. Do not add a loss percentage as if it were a paise charge; it changes the quantity of energy required.
For the illustrative HT path used later in this article, take the GETCO 3.37% transmission loss approved for FY 2026-27 and the 6.50% DISCOM loss at HT delivery from the DGVCL order dated 25 March 2026. If they apply sequentially to a particular approved path, the delivered fraction is 0.9663 × 0.935, or about 0.9035. That would require about 1.1068 injected units per delivered unit. This is arithmetic on stated assumptions, not a claim that every Gujarat open-access path uses those exact two factors. The approved energy-accounting statement decides the real path.
Banking is also a quantity-specific line. Gujarat’s GERC Sixth Amendment, Notification 07 of 2026 dated 19 August 2026, sets ₹1.00 per unit for eligible banked energy from 1 September 2026 through 31 March 2027. Its 24 September 2026 errata, Notification 08 of 2026, corrects wording in the calculation annexure. The charge is on the banked quantity, not automatically every open-access unit. The Gujarat banking-charge guide walks through the amendment and examples.
Suppose a factory receives 100,000 open-access units in a month and 10,000 of those are banked under an approved arrangement. At the transitional ₹1.00 charge, the illustrative banking line is ₹10,000, equivalent to ₹0.10 averaged over 100,000 delivered units. If none is banked, that line is zero. If more is banked, the blended amount rises. The actual accounting depends on time blocks, settlement and the permitted banking quantum. A spreadsheet should not apply ₹1.00 to all units merely because the project is described as open access.
Watch out
A loss factor changes the injection quantity; a banking charge applies only to units actually banked. Keep the bases separate.
Ask the PPA seller or project adviser to supply a sample monthly energy-accounting statement. It should show scheduled injection, actual injection, grid losses, drawal, banked energy, bank withdrawals and surplus settlement. Those quantities let the buyer reproduce every cost line instead of accepting a single blended “landed price.”
What does a worked Gujarat factory ledger show?
The following table is illustrative and hypothetical, not a tariff quote or a Heaven Green project. Assume an HT consumer of a state-owned Gujarat DISCOM, short-term GETCO use, the 11/22/33 kV DISCOM wheeling path, and a negotiated generation price of ₹3.00 per injected kWh. Assume sequential 3.37% GETCO and 6.50% HT distribution losses, so 1.1068 injected units are needed per delivered unit. Assume 10% of delivered units are banked at the transitional ₹1.00 charge. Use the cited FY 2026-27 and October 2026 orders. Ignore taxes, scheduling, SLDC, standby, deviation and other contract-specific charges solely to show the method.
| Ledger line per delivered kWh | Hypothetical or cited input | Illustrative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Generation or PPA at injection | Assumed ₹3.00 × 1.1068 injected units | ₹3.3204 |
| GETCO short-term transmission | 37.18 paise, GERC 29 March 2025 FY 2026-27 schedule | ₹0.3718 |
| HT DISCOM wheeling | 23.52 paise, DGVCL 25 March 2026 order | ₹0.2352 |
| HT cross-subsidy surcharge | ₹1.33, DGVCL 25 March 2026 order, if non-captive | ₹1.3300 |
| Additional surcharge | ₹0.99, GERC Order 05/2026, only if applicable to this quantum | ₹0.9900 |
| Banking | Assumed 10% banked × ₹1.00, GERC 19 August 2026 amendment | ₹0.1000 |
| Illustrative total if every listed line applies | Excludes other charges and taxes | ₹6.3474 |
If the additional-surcharge line does not apply to the approved quantum, the same assumptions produce ₹5.3574 before omitted charges. If the project qualifies as captive, CSS and additional-surcharge treatment changes under the cited regulation; the cost of ownership and captive compliance must also enter the comparison. Neither total is a promised landed rate. The energy base for transmission and wheeling charges and any applicable exemptions must be confirmed in the actual GERC, GETCO, DISCOM and SLDC accounting documents.
| Route | Cost lines to test | Key missing information |
|---|---|---|
| Rooftop on the factory meter | EPC cost, O&M, direct use, export settlement | Usable roof, daytime load, rooftop approval |
| Third-party open access | PPA price, losses, transmission, wheeling, CSS, conditional AS, banking | Approved path, contract, schedule and exemptions |
| Group captive | Ownership and generation cost, network charges, losses, banking, captive compliance | Equity, consumption test and annual verification |
The comparison should use the same delivered energy and same time profile for each route. A midday rooftop unit used instantly is not commercially identical to an off-site unit banked for a later period.
Get a line-by-line project review. Share the factory bill and proposed off-site power terms through ground-mount solar park so the network route and charge assumptions can be checked.
When is rooftop, third-party PPA or group captive the better route?
Rooftop is often the first route to test when the factory has a sound roof and daytime load behind the same meter. It avoids the off-site wheeling and transmission path for power used on site, although rooftop approval, meter settlement and export treatment still matter. The roof may cap capacity below the factory’s annual need. The owner should use the industrial solar guide to check the physical route before rejecting rooftop solely because it cannot cover every unit.
A third-party open-access PPA may suit a factory that has little roof, wants off-site supply and prefers a contracted energy price to plant ownership. The landed cost has more moving parts than the quoted PPA rate. The buyer should request a change-in-law clause, allocation of transmission and wheeling charges, loss factors, banking rights, curtailment treatment and termination terms. It should also test the additional surcharge against the actual maintained contract demand under GERC Regulation 17.4. The captive versus third-party PPA guide provides the wider commercial comparison.
Group captive can change CSS and additional-surcharge treatment where the legal captive tests are satisfied, but it involves equity ownership and annual consumption compliance. The GERC 2024 regulation explicitly warns that failure to prove captive status can remove the benefit for the relevant year. Do not price a group-captive offer as exempt merely because a developer names it that way. Ask for the ownership structure, consumption allocation, verification method and remedy if the tests fail. The group-captive glossary explains the concept.
- ✓ Roof load can be used directly, or captive compliance is documented.
- ✓ The buyer can accept the asset and contract duties.
- ✗ Exemptions are assumed without written support.
- ✗ PPA price is shown without delivered-unit charges.
There is no universal winner. A small roof, a changing night shift, a suitable land parcel or a short lease can shift the answer. Use the same meter data and horizon for all routes, include the cost of any banked or spilled energy, and ask a qualified legal and tax adviser to confirm the ownership structure when captive treatment is central to the economics.
What approvals and agencies sit between plant and factory?
An off-site project needs its commercial arrangement and grid path approved before a delivered-unit model becomes bankable. The generator’s site, land status and injection voltage shape the connectivity application. GETCO governs the relevant state transmission connection; the DISCOM governs distribution drawal and billing; the SLDC handles scheduling and energy accounting. GEDA can have a renewable-energy facilitation role depending on the project route. The specific application checklist should be taken from the current agency procedure, not inferred from a generic solar EPC schedule.
The project team should map the sequence in writing:
- Confirm eligibility. Check factory load, voltage and proposed captive or third-party status under the MoP and GERC rules.
- Secure the site and grid path. Identify land, injection point, GETCO or DISCOM connectivity and any evacuation works.
- Apply for open access. Submit the generator, buyer, contract, schedule and security documents through the applicable portal and nodal agency.
- Approve metering and accounting. Specify injection and drawal meters, losses, banking and settlement reports.
- Commission and reconcile. Match the first SLDC and DISCOM statements to the PPA and the Delivered-Unit Ledger.
The Ministry of Power’s 11 November 2022 portal launch notice records the national green-open-access single-window portal, while the GERC 2024 regulation provides Gujarat’s local framework. An approval deadline in a rule is not a promise about completion of land, line and meter works. The buyer should track each dependency separately.
Regulation note
GERC's FY 2026-27 charge figures do not grant an individual project open access. The application must confirm path, energy accounting and exemptions.
Ask for an approvals matrix that names the owner of each submission, the acknowledgement number, the equipment or document that depends on it and the decision date. The factory can then distinguish a quoted generation price from a project that is actually ready to deliver energy through the grid.
How Heaven Green Energy helps check the Project Route
A useful factory proposal starts with a complete electricity bill, interval consumption, contract demand, site and roof information, and the commercial offer being compared. The first question is whether on-site rooftop can use a meaningful share of daytime power. The second is whether an off-site project has a viable land and grid route. The third is what each delivered unit costs under the current orders. Those answers should be separate in the proposal.
Ask the project team for its charge register. It should name the source, order number, effective dates and energy base for generation, transmission, losses, wheeling, CSS, additional surcharge and banking. For the figures on this page, the DGVCL and GETCO tariff orders cover FY 2026-27, GERC Order 05 of 2026 covers additional surcharge through 31 March 2027, and the Sixth Amendment fixes the transitional banking charge through the same date. A later order will require the model to be updated.
The service routes are:
- Ground-mount solar park for land, project and off-site solar enquiry.
- DREBP and PM-KUSUM for the separate scheme-specific project route.
- Industrial solar for the on-site factory rooftop comparison.
Request two landed-cost cases where an exemption is uncertain. One should include the charge and one should omit it, each stating the regulation and project evidence needed to select the correct case. A buyer should not be forced to accept an unsupported single answer to a conditional surcharge question. The same applies to banking: show the measured or modelled banked quantity rather than treating it as a percentage of all power without evidence.
For a site discussion, send the last twelve months of bills, interval load data if available, the proposed generator location or land details, PPA or captive terms and any existing open-access approval. Use the ground-mount solar park route for the primary enquiry. The decision should be made on the delivered-unit ledger and the approved project documents, not the generator’s quoted price alone.
How should a buyer keep the model current after signing?
Regulated charges change on different clocks. DGVCL’s wheeling and CSS figures in this article are from its FY 2026-27 tariff order dated 25 March 2026. GETCO’s transmission charges and approved loss level for FY 2026-27 come from its 29 March 2025 multi-year order. Additional surcharge is set for the half-year from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. The ₹1.00 banking charge is a transitional rate from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. The buyer should keep those dates next to the spreadsheet inputs.
The PPA should allocate change risk. Who pays if wheeling or transmission charges move? Does the energy price apply at injection or delivery? Who bears an increase in approved losses, banking limits or scheduling costs? If captive compliance fails for a year, who covers a resulting surcharge? A contract should answer those questions in words that match the energy-accounting formula. An apparently fixed “solar rate” can still leave several pass-through charges floating.
Review the first three actual monthly statements against the model. Reconcile scheduled energy, injection, transmission and distribution losses, delivered energy, banked units, CSS and any additional surcharge. Investigate mismatches before they become a full-year assumption. The banking-electricity glossary helps distinguish a banked credit from energy directly used in the same accounting block. A meter or schedule discrepancy can change both the quantity and the value of the power.
Keep a source archive with the exact GERC, GETCO, DISCOM and SLDC documents used at signing. Replace an input only when a new order is effective for that connection and period. This avoids applying a future tariff to a past bill or continuing an expired half-year surcharge. The buyer’s finance and plant teams should both be able to reproduce the landed cost from the same ledger.
Finally, compare the delivered price with the relevant avoided retail cost, including what rooftop could do on site. Do not compare an off-site injected-unit quote with the full retail bill total. Demand charges, duty and other bill lines can remain. The decision stays sound only when all routes use the same quantity, timing and charge definitions.
Frequently asked questions
Is 100 kW the minimum for green open access in Gujarat?
The national MoP clarification dated 12 February 2024 describes a 100 kW contracted-demand or sanctioned-load threshold for non-captive consumers, including qualifying aggregation within one distribution division. Captive consumers have no minimum load limitation under that rule. A project still needs to satisfy Gujarat’s applicable approval process.
Is the open-access PPA price the landed price at the factory?
No. Add applicable transmission and wheeling charges, energy losses, CSS, conditional additional surcharge, banking on banked units, and project-specific scheduling or contract costs. The generator price may be stated at injection rather than delivery.
What are Gujarat’s FY 2026-27 HT wheeling and CSS figures?
For the four state-owned DISCOMs, the DGVCL tariff order dated 25 March 2026 approves 23.52 paise per kWh for 11, 22 and 33 kV wheeling and ₹1.33 per kWh for HT CSS where applicable. Check the actual voltage, licensee and captive status.
Does every Gujarat open-access factory pay the ₹0.99 additional surcharge?
No universal conclusion follows from the rate. GERC Order 05 of 2026 sets ₹0.99 per kWh for 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, while the green-open-access regulation contains contract-demand and captive exceptions. Check the approved arrangement and the quantum affected.
Is Gujarat’s ₹1 banking charge paid on every solar unit?
No. GERC’s 19 August 2026 Sixth Amendment sets ₹1.00 per eligible banked unit from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. Units used directly in the matching accounting period should not be labelled banked merely because the project uses open access.
Is group captive always cheaper than a third-party PPA?
No. Qualifying captive status can change surcharge treatment, but ownership cost, compliance, generation profile, network charges and contract risk remain. Compare the same delivered units and obtain proof that the legal captive tests are met.