ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s energy authorities have defended the decision to restrict new rooftop solar connections to the Net Plus scheme, stating that previous billing models unfairly forced millions of non-solar consumers to subsidise high nighttime generation costs.
The shift applies to rooftop solar applications submitted after September 21, in line with the National Electricity Policy approved by the Cabinet and gazetted on March 5, 2026.
Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation, and Energy Anura Karunathilaka dismissed claims that the policy was an arbitrary decision, stressing that it was implemented under collective ministerial responsibility to correct a growing financial imbalance.
“A clarification must be made that this is not the personal opinion of an individual or two or three persons. With the collective responsibility of the Cabinet, that letter was issued in accordance with the National Electricity Policy,” Karunathilaka said.
Under earlier schemes like Net Accounting, consumers export low-cost solar electricity during the day and consume expensive thermal power at night. Because the grid cannot store daytime solar power, the utility incurs heavy generation costs during the evening peak that have to be recovered through electricity tariffs.
“Currently, there are only around 85,000 to 90,000 rooftop solar users under Net Accounting. Passing the additional cost incurred by that group onto 7 million electricity consumers is unfair,” Karunathilaka said.
Under the updated Net Plus model, consumers can consume their own solar energy during the day and receive payment for any surplus fed to the grid, but they must pay for higher-cost power drawn at night.
Karunathilaka said the mechanism aims to encourage consumers to shift power-heavy tasks, such as electric vehicle charging and running washing machines, to daytime hours to help power utilities minimize additional cost burdens. (Colombo/Sep27/2026)