NPCL Net Metering for Greater Noida Industry: Net Billing Guide (2026)

Direct Answer: How Does Rooftop Solar Work for a Greater Noida Factory in 2026?

Greater Noida is served by NPCL (Noida Power Company Limited) — a private, UPERC-regulated distribution licensee (a JV of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group's CESC and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority), not by UPPCL. Under the UPERC RSPV Regulations, 2019, a Greater Noida industrial or commercial consumer is not eligible for kWh net metering — it is placed on net billing / net feed-in (or gross metering). Rooftop capacity is capped at 100% of contract demand, up to 2 MWp per premises.

Your savings come from self-consumption against NPCL's FY 2026-27 industrial tariff — which benefits from a standing 10% regulatory discount — while any surplus export is settled at the Solar Injection Compensation rate (weighted-average ≥5 MW solar bid tariff + 25%). NPCL had ~56.6 MW of rooftop solar across ~1,849 consumers as of its FY 2026-27 order.

Regulatory status last checked: 18 August 2026.

Who Is NPCL, and Does It Follow the Same Solar Rules?

NPCL has distributed power in Greater Noida since 1993 under licence from the UP government, and its tariffs are set by UPERC under the same multi-year framework as the state discoms. Structurally, UPERC approves the same base rate schedule for NPCL as for the state discoms, then applies a 10% regulatory discount on fixed/demand and energy charges. That discount — continued for FY 2026-27 — is a genuine, if modest, reduction in the tariff your solar plant is measured against.

On solar specifically, NPCL applies the UPERC RSPV Regulations, 2019 (as amended through 2025), so the C&I framework is the same as the rest of Uttar Pradesh — but NPCL runs its own application process and fee schedule, detailed below.

NPCL's FY 2026-27 Industrial & Commercial Tariff

Tariffs were held flat for the seventh consecutive year in UPERC's July 2026 order. The base schedule (before the 10% discount):

Category	Demand / fixed charge	Energy charge
HV-2 Large & Heavy Power (industrial ≥75 kW)	₹300/kVA/mo (≤11 kV) · ₹290 (11–66 kV) · ₹270 (66–132 kV)	₹7.10 / ₹6.80 / ₹6.40 / ₹6.10 per kVAh
HV-1 Non-Industrial Bulk (commercial ≥75 kW)	₹430/kVA/mo (11 kV) · ₹400 (>11 kV)	₹8.32 / ₹8.12 per kVAh
LMV-6 Small & Medium Power	₹290/kW/month	₹7.30 / kWh

NPCL's approved Average Billing Rates for FY 2026-27: HV-2 ₹7.97, HV-1 ₹9.86, LMV-6 ₹9.02/unit. The time-of-day structure is unchanged (April–September: 15% rebate 07:00–16:00, 15% surcharge 19:00–02:00). Note that the daytime rebate overlaps solar hours, which slightly tempers the midday solar offset — model on interval data, not a flat rate, per our time-of-day guide.

Net Billing vs Net Metering — the Rule That Drives Sizing

NPCL's own tariff order is explicit: "industrial consumers are not permitted to avail net metering… they can opt for net billing." Net metering (kWh-for-kWh) is restricted to domestic (LMV-1) and agriculture (LMV-5).

Under net billing / net feed-in:

Imports are billed at your full retail tariff; exports are valued at the lower feed-in rate — the Solar Injection Compensation (weighted-average ≥5 MW solar bid tariff from the previous FY + 25%).
Capacity: up to 100% of contract demand, capped at 2 MWp per premises (above 2 MWp needs prior UPERC approval).
Because export earns a fraction of retail, oversizing for export destroys returns — size to your daytime load.

This is the same logic we lay out in the UPPCL / UPERC industrial net billing guide; the difference here is NPCL's own process and fees.

The NPCL Application Process and Fees

NPCL runs its own rooftop solar process (separate from the state discom portals). For a Greater Noida C&I project:

Apply to NPCL (C&I consumers apply directly; the PM Surya Ghar national portal is for residential subsidy claims). NPCL's rooftop cell is at Knowledge Park-III, Greater Noida; email rooftopsolar@noidapower.com.
Pay the application/registration fees: application fee ₹250+GST (≤50 kW) or ₹750+GST (>50 kW–1 MW); registration ₹1,000+GST / ₹2,500+GST respectively.
Technical feasibility and approval, followed by a connection agreement, bidirectional metering, and commissioning.

Confirm the current document checklist and timelines directly with NPCL, and don't order long-lead equipment before the capacity and interconnection are confirmed in writing. An experienced EPC handles this coordination end-to-end — see how to choose a solar EPC.

Greater Noida's Industrial Clusters — and the Data-Centre Wave

Greater Noida's C&I load sits in the Ecotech series (I–XII), Surajpur Industrial Area, Kasna / EPIP Kasna (UPSIDA) and the Knowledge Park belt. The biggest new driver is data centres: the New Integrated Data Centre Park (NIDP) in Knowledge Park-V is a separate distribution licensee (not NPCL), and UP is planning multiple data-centre parks — a signal of surging round-the-clock green-power demand that open-access solar is well placed to serve.

For loads above a rooftop's 2 MW ceiling — a large warehouse, an IT campus, a data-centre-adjacent facility — the route is open-access or group-captive solar under the Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022, which allow any consumer of 100 kW and above (and captive consumers with no minimum) to procure renewable power across the grid. See the UP open-access charges guide.

What ROI Should a Greater Noida Factory Expect?

Plant size	Indicative capex	Payback	25-yr IRR (capex)
250 kW	₹90 lakh – ₹1.05 Cr	~4.2–4.8 yrs	~19–21%
500 kW	₹1.8 – ₹2.1 Cr	~3.8–4.3 yrs	~21–23%
1 MW	₹3.5 – ₹3.95 Cr	~3.5–4.2 yrs	~22–25%

Ranges are illustrative — the real figure depends on load factor, self-consumption ratio and the AD vs 115BAA tax choice. Model with our solar ROI methodology. We serve Greater Noida with the same NCR crews as our Greater Noida and Faridabad-NCR work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Greater Noida served by NPCL or UPPCL?

Greater Noida is served by NPCL (Noida Power Company Limited), a private UPERC-regulated licensee — a JV of CESC (RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group) and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority. It is separate from UPPCL.

Can a Greater Noida factory get net metering?

No. Under UPERC's RSPV Regulations 2019, industrial and commercial consumers are placed on net billing / net feed-in, not kWh net metering. Surplus export is settled at the Solar Injection Compensation rate.

What is the rooftop solar capacity limit in Greater Noida?

2 MWp per premises, and up to 100% of your contract demand. Above 2 MWp requires prior UPERC approval or an open-access/captive structure.

What are NPCL's rooftop solar application fees?

Application fee ₹250+GST (≤50 kW) or ₹750+GST (>50 kW–1 MW); registration ₹1,000+GST / ₹2,500+GST respectively. Confirm the current schedule with NPCL.

Does NPCL give a regulatory discount?

Yes — NPCL consumers receive a 10% regulatory discount on fixed/demand and energy charges (not on the optional green-energy tariff). It is reviewed annually by UPERC.

What payback can a Greater Noida factory expect from rooftop solar?

Typically 3.5–4.5 years and low-twenties IRRs on a capex basis, driven by self-consumption.