'Net metering' is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the
- A.production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers
- B.use of piped natural gas in the kitchens of households
- C.installation of CNG kits in motor-cars
- D.installation of water meters in urban households
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers. Net metering lets a home with rooftop solar panels sell its surplus power to the grid.
Under net metering, a bidirectional meter records both the electricity a consumer draws from the grid and the electricity their rooftop solar system pushes back into it. At the end of the billing period the consumer pays only for the net amount used, and surplus units may be carried forward or paid for under State rules. This makes rooftop solar more attractive, because power produced during the day when the family is away is not wasted. State electricity regulatory commissions frame the net-metering regulations, and the scheme supports rooftop solar programmes such as PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
B is wrong: piped natural gas is billed through a gas meter, and net metering is about electricity.
C is wrong: CNG kits in cars have nothing to do with metering power to the grid.
D is wrong: water meters measure consumption only and do not export anything.
Exam tip: net metering = bidirectional meter + rooftop solar; the bill is for imports minus exports.
Practice Questions
View allAccording to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions?
- A.Locomotives using fossil fuels
- B.Ships using fossil fuels
- C.Extraction of metals from ores
- D.Power plants using fossil fuels
Show answer
The EPA names the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities as the largest source of sulphur dioxide.
Read the full explanation →Free swimming macroscopic animals in an aquatic environment are referred to as
- A.Plankton
- B.Periphyton
- C.Benthos
- D.Nekton
Show answer
Nekton are animals large enough to be seen with the naked eye that swim actively and can move against water currents.
Read the full explanation →Artificial way of causing rainfall to reduce air pollution makes use of
- A.silver iodide and potassium iodide
- B.silver nitrate and potassium iodide
- C.silver iodide and potassium nitrate
- D.silver nitrate and potassium chloride
Show answer
These salts are the usual seeding agents in cloud seeding, the artificial way to make rain. Cloud seeding sprays tiny particles into clouds that already hold moisture, from aircraft, rockets or ground generators.
Read the full explanation →As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following statements is correct?
- A.Waste generator has to segregate waste into five categories.
- B.The Rules are applicable to notified urban local bodies, notified towns and all industrial townships only.
- C.The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.
- D.It is mandatory on the part of waste generator that the waste generated in one district cannot be moved to another district.
Show answer
The 2016 Rules set out detailed criteria for choosing sites for landfills and waste processing facilities. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, replaced the Municipal Solid Wastes Rules of 2000.
Read the full explanation →Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standard criterion for
- A.Measuring oxygen levels in blood
- B.Computing oxygen levels in forest ecosystems
- C.Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems
- D.Assessing oxygen levels in high altitude regions
Show answer
BOD tells how much organic pollution a body of water carries. Biological, or biochemical, Oxygen Demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen that aerobic micro-organisms use up while breaking down the organic matter in a water sample, usually measured over five days at 20 degrees Celsius and expressed in milligrams…
Read the full explanation →