Thiruvananthapuram: An electric vehicle owner with excess energy in the car battery can give it back to the KSEB for a price. A household with power to spare from its rooftop solar can sell it to neighbours at a competitive price. Even better, a group of individual renewable energy producers can come together, form a company of sorts, and trade in the power market. 

'Vehicle to Grid (V2G)', 'Peer to Peer (P2P)' and Virtual Power Plants (VPP) are just three of the many innovative measures in the Draft Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Renewable Energy and Related Matters) Regulations, 2025. These have been drawn up to accelerate adoption of renewable energy. The Draft was released on May 30.

V2G integration is the framework for the bi-directional flow of electricity between the electric grid and EV batteries. The Draft says that the mechanism could provide grid stability in times of demand. All Electric Vehicle (EV) owners, Charging Station Operators (CSOs), distribution licensees like KSEB, can participate in Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) integration within the State.

Once the Regulations come into force, any EV owner in Kerala will have the right to export stored electricity from their EV battery to the grid through "authorised V2G-enabled charging stations/installations". It is for the KSEB to facilitate the seamless integration of V2G-enabled EVs into the grid.

Peer to Peer (P2P) energy trading is for prosumers (a power consumer who also produces energy from a renewable energy system installed in her premises). The Draft says that prosumers can trade surplus renewable energy after own use through an online P2P platform "using block chain or any other technology". "The P2P energy trading platform shall be operated by an authorised service provider or Distribution Licensee," the draft says.

It also says that the service provider (KSEB) should create awareness and train P2P participants in the operation of the P2P platform.

Virtual Power Plants or VPP is system in which various renewable energy sources like rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and demand response systems like smart thermostats are aggregated through what the draft calls a "VPP operator" to participate in the electricity market.

Another RE incentive in the Draft is Virtual Net Metering. VNM is an arrangement that allows multiple consumers operating within the same license area (flats, residential associations) to install a collective renewable energy plant. The electricity generated is pumped into the grid, and the energy units given to the grid is divided among the participants on the basis of individual capital contribution. The units pumped into the KSEB grid can be offset against the units consumed from the grid.

The Draft has now been released for the information of the stakeholders and the persons likely to be affected. Any objections or suggestions can be forwarded to the Secretary, Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission, KPFC Bhavanam, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram-10, within one month from the date of publication of this notice (May 30).