Future grids can expect more and more consumers to produce their own electricity, most commonly from solar panels. Some of these consumer-produced electricity will be exported to the grid when these consumers produce more than they consume, usually on a cloudless midday. Grids today already experience this bi-directional flow of power, and more so in the future, as solar prices drop. The backward turn of the bi-directional meter offsets/cancels an equivalent amount in kilowatt-hours of previous consumption by the solar owner. The exported solar electricity is in turn sold by the utility to neighbors at full retail price, recovering all the costs of the offset amount. So, by retaining the old bi-directional analog meters or by installing new bi-directional digital meters, an electric utility is preparing it for the future. These bi-directional meters are perfectly compatible with the provisions of net metering by the Philippine Renewable Energy (RE) Act. Know more on bi-directional meters from the discussion paper by Engr. Roberto Verzola.

Download Roberto Verzola - unidirectional to bidirectional meters