PUTRAJAYA: The government will implement the Solar Accelerated Transition Action Programme, or Solar Atap, effective Jan 1, next year, to utilise rooftop spaces for generating renewable energy.
In a statement on Friday (Dec 19), the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry confirmed that the programme aligns with its earlier announcement on Sept 12 and is the successor to the Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme that ended on June 30.
"As the regulator of the electricity supply industry, the Energy Commission has prepared the Solar Atap guidelines, accessible on its website from Dec 31.
"Applications can be submitted starting Jan 1, 2026, via the Sustainable Energy Development Authority’s (Seda) website,” said the ministry.
The ministry added that the final programme incorporates several improvements based on stakeholder feedback. Notably, Solar Atap will not have a fixed quota at launch, though the government retains the authority to impose a cap should future, uncontrolled integration risk destabilising the national grid.
Furthermore, the programme retains a core principle of NEM by allowing surplus solar energy to be fed into the grid for energy credit, with specific adjustments to make it more attractive than the existing Solar for Self-Consumption (SelCo) scheme.
The ministry has set the energy credit rates based on electricity market prices, with non-domestic consumers receiving the system marginal price and domestic consumers receiving their prevailing energy charge.
"The solar system installation limit is set at 100 percent of maximum demand, allowing consumers to fully optimise their solar installation for self-use. For domestic users, single-phase homes are permitted to install systems with a capacity of 5kW, while the capacity for three-phase homes has been raised from 12.5kW to 15kW,” the statement read.
The Solar Atap programme is expected to provide a viable choice for consumers to use building rooftops for renewable energy generation, while also significantly accelerating clean energy development to support national carbon reduction goals.
The ministry said it is confident it will serve as a strategic, long-term catalyst for strengthening the national energy landscape and supporting Malaysia's aspiration to achieve 70 percent renewable energy capacity by 2050.
"This initiative not only drives national sustainability but also demonstrates Malaysia’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibility to current and future generations, in line with the core pillars and values of Madani Malaysia,” it added. - Bernama
