Dhaka: The Power Division has issued a revised circular mandating the installation of rooftop solar panels under the net metering system for buildings with at least 1,000 square feet of usable roof space for a minimum of 20 years.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the revised directive requires any building with 1,000 square feet or more of roof area suitable for use over at least 20 years to install rooftop solar panels when applying for a new electricity connection under the net metering system. This new circular also cancels the previous one on the subject.
The circular outlines that residential consumers applying for single-phase connections may opt to install rooftop solar systems if they are interested. However, for industrial and commercial consumers with an allocated load of 10 kilowatts or more, the installation of a solar system with a minimum capacity equivalent to 20 percent of the approved load is mandatory, in accordance with the Net Metering Guidelines-2025. Those with an allocated load below 10 kilowatts have the option to install rooftop solar systems as per Article 3.3 of the guidelines.
For consumers with three-phase connections and an allocated load of 10 kilowatts or more, a net metering solar system of at least 3 kilowatts (3,000 watts) is required. Educational institutions, hospitals, and charitable organizations using single-phase connections may also choose to install rooftop solar systems, with the National Rooftop Solar Programme Policy potentially applying in these cases.
For three-phase connections, customers with an allocated load of 10 kilowatts or more must install a net metering system with a minimum capacity of 5 kilowatts (5,000 watts). The circular also stipulates that consumers looking to increase their existing electricity load must install rooftop solar systems in line with the Net Metering Guidelines-2025, based on the additional load approved.
Under these guidelines, customers are permitted to install solar systems with a capacity of up to 100 percent of their permitted load if they so choose. The revised circular has been implemented immediately in the public interest.