The energy ministry will phase out net-metering applications for different categories of consumers over various stages as part of a procedure replacing these with net billing, an accordance with new European Commission policy on the matter.

Remuneration programs concerning net-metering systems will be abolished upon their expiry dates, top-ranked energy ministry officials have informed.

New subsidy programs not yet launched will premier exclusively based on the net-billing model, the sources added. These include a subsidy support program for residential roof-mounted PVs, currently in progress with applications facing a June 30 deadline.

Both net-metering and net-billing compensate solar-system owners for transferring electricity to the grid when their panels overproduce, but the ways the two systems compensate differs.

Net metering credits equal the retail electricity rate paid by customers for electricity. On the contrary, net billing credits equal the wholesale rate electricity companies pay for electricity.