Sri Lanka swaps net metering for feed-in tariffs on new rooftop solar

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Energy has ended net metering for new rooftop solar installations, shifting new systems onto a feed-in tariff scheme called Net Plus, PV Magazine reported. The change took effect for agreements signed from March 5, 2026 onward.

Under the new structure, agreements run for a maximum of 12 years, with tariffs ranging from 15.81 to 23.11 Sri Lankan rupees per kilowatt-hour depending on system size, with smaller installations up to 10 kilowatts earning the highest rate. Participating systems must now include smart meters so distribution utilities can monitor output remotely. Regulators also approved higher time-of-use rates for solar-plus-battery systems, paying 45.53 rupees per kilowatt-hour during peak demand periods for the first 15 years, an incentive aimed at encouraging storage alongside new solar.

The policy shift follows explosive growth in Sri Lanka's distributed solar market. According to the Ceylon Electricity Board, rooftop solar capacity reached 1.94 gigawatts across nearly 109,000 connections by the end of 2025, with annual generation jumping 93% to 1.674 terawatt-hours. The move to feed-in tariffs is intended to give the grid operator more predictable, better-monitored compensation terms as distributed solar becomes a larger share of the island nation's power mix.

This story is based on reporting by Emiliano Bellini for PV Magazine. Read the original: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/09/22/sri-lanka-replaces-net-metering-with-feed-in-tariffs-for-rooftop-solar/