Question

Difficulty: MediumInference and Logical Deduction

Read the following passage carefully:

Under the National Remote Micro-Grid Electrification Framework, private energy developers operating solar-biomass hybrid systems in designated high-altitude districts are eligible for a tariff-equalization subsidy only if they maintain a continuous supply uptime of at least 95% across all calendar quarters. The framework mandates that all operational telemetry data must be logged via tamper-proof smart meters and transmitted directly to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC). If an outage exceeds 48 consecutive hours due to scheduled maintenance without a prior 7-day public notice to affected village panchayats, the developer forfeits the quarterly subsidy entirely. Furthermore, SERC regulations stipulate that any revenue generated from selling surplus micro-grid electricity back to the main state grid during peak generation seasons must be deposited into a dedicated community development fund rather than retained as developer profit. However, developers who achieve zero service downtime for two consecutive fiscal years receive an exemption from annual regulatory compliance audit fees.

Based strictly on the passage above, which of the following statements must logically be true?

  1. A developer whose micro-grid undergoes 50 consecutive hours of scheduled maintenance retains quarterly subsidy eligibility if a public notice was issued seven days prior and overall quarterly uptime remains at least 95%.Answer
  2. B
    Private energy developers operating under the framework are completely prohibited from supplying excess power to the main state electricity grid.
  3. C
    Maintaining a supply uptime of 95% in any given calendar quarter entitles a developer to an immediate exemption from annual regulatory audit fees.
  4. D
    Developer profits increase in direct proportion to the volume of surplus power generated and sold during peak seasonal periods.

Answer

A developer whose micro-grid undergoes 50 consecutive hours of scheduled maintenance retains quarterly subsidy eligibility if a public notice was issued seven days prior and overall quarterly uptime remains at least 95%.
The text establishes that a maintenance outage exceeding 48 hours causes subsidy forfeiture only if conducted without a 7-day advance notice. When proper advance notice is given and overall quarterly uptime is maintained at or above 95%, the developer avoids forfeiture and fulfills the subsidy eligibility rule.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the conditions for subsidy forfeiture.
Subsidy forfeiture for maintenance outages exceeding 48 consecutive hours occurs specifically if done 'without a prior 7-day public notice'.
Establishing the precise negative condition for losing the subsidy.
2
Evaluate the impact of fulfilling the notice requirement.
If the 7-day advance notice is given, an outage of 50 hours does not trigger the forfeiture rule.
Applying basic deductive logic to conditional statements.
3
Verify overall quarterly uptime compliance.
If quarterly uptime stays at or above 95%, the primary eligibility criterion remains satisfied.
Ensuring all necessary conditions for subsidy retention are met.

Key Concept

Necessary and Sufficient Logical Deduction in Regulatory Passages
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