President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Monday that the government is considering concessions to encourage households with rooftop solar panels to install battery storage.
Speaking at the Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit, he said batteries with a capacity above 1 megawatt already receive concessions, while smaller systems are taxed. The government is looking at extending relief to domestic systems of around 200 to 500 kilowatts.
He said a technical problem remains: telling apart batteries made to store solar power from other batteries. He said the government could proceed once that is resolved.
The President said Sri Lanka had about 1,400 megawatts of installed solar capacity when the government took office, and 1,500 megawatts have been added over the past two years. Agreements are signed for a further 1,100 megawatts.
He said tenders have been called for 160 grid battery storage units, 13 of which are expected to be completed by the end of November, and for another 250 units. Renewable sources supply about 69 percent of electricity, he said, and no diesel was used for power generation over the previous four days.
