A district-level workshop, in association with the North Bengal Industries Association (NBIA), was organised here on Monday by Grant Thornton Bharat LLP with support from the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
Image Source: Freepik
A district-level workshop, in association with the North Bengal Industries Association (NBIA), was organised here on Monday by Grant Thornton Bharat LLP with support from the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The programme, titled “Energy Efficiency for MSMEs through Solar Power Adoption: Its Importance and Benefits”, focused on promoting sustainable energy practices among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Advertisement
The workshop aimed at creating awareness among MSME units on the significance of energy efficiency through solar power adoption and at providing detailed guidance on the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) net metering guidelines applicable in the state.
Advertisement
The session witnessed active discussions and knowledge sharing on various aspects, including eligibility criteria for MSMEs to apply for rooftop solar power with net metering, capacity limits under the net metering framework, technical standards and safety requirements, the step-by-step application process through the WBSEDCL portal, metering arrangements and grid connectivity procedures, energy accounting and billing mechanisms, settlement processes, as well as applicable charges, timelines and operational responsibilities of consumers.
Surajit Paul, general secretary of NBIA, observed that the adoption of solar installations and energy-efficient practices would continue to remain a challenge unless government compliances and procedures are streamlined and simplified to support grassroots MSMEs.
Satadru Saha, West Bengal cluster head, emphasised that adopting energy-efficient practices and becoming “solar-smart MSMEs” is the only viable way forward to ensure production sustainability while maintaining competitiveness among MSMEs in West Bengal.
Among the speakers at the workshop were Pema Sherpa, superintendent engineer (Commerce, RM), Darjeeling; Suman Sen Gupta, divisional engineer, Office of the Chief Engineer (North); Yash Bhandari, assistant engineer; Prasanta Mahato, assistant engineer and station manager, Milan Pally, WBSEDCL; Soumyajit Ghosh, regional sales manager, Tata Power; Vikas Rai, area sales manager, Tata Power; and Shivam Kumar, branch-in-charge, SIDBI Siliguri.
Advertisement
