Net Metering in Kenya
What exporting solar to the KPLC grid involves, what you are credited, and the sequence the paperwork has to follow.
What it is
Net metering lets a grid-connected solar system feed surplus generation back into the KPLC network in exchange for a credit on your electricity account. It is administered by KPLC under a framework regulated by EPRA. In practice it suits buildings that generate more than they consume during part of the day — typically premises with a large roof and a load profile that dips in the middle of the day.
What you are credited
Exported units are credited at an avoided-cost rate rather than at the retail tariff you pay for imported units. The economic consequence is straightforward: a unit consumed on site is worth more to you than a unit exported. Systems are therefore usually best designed to maximise self-consumption first, with export as the overflow rather than the objective.
The sequence
The order matters, and getting it wrong causes most of the delay people experience. Interconnection approval from KPLC comes first — that is the inspection of the installation and the formal permission to connect a generator to the network. Only after that does the net metering application go to the KPLC regional commercial office, and the bi-directional meter is installed later still. From commissioning to the first net-metered bill, the process commonly runs into several months.
Technical requirements
A grid-connected inverter must include anti-islanding protection so it disconnects when the grid goes down — this protects line workers — along with voltage and frequency detection within the required limits. These are built-in functions on compliant inverters, but they are not universal on cheap imported units, and an inverter without them will not pass interconnection.
Licensing
A system installed for your own consumption below 1 MW does not require a generation licence from EPRA. The installation work is a separate matter: EPRA requires solar contractors and technicians to be licensed, and that applies regardless of system size.
Rates, thresholds and process details are set by KPLC and EPRA and change from time to time. Confirm the current position with EPRA or KPLC before committing to a design that depends on export revenue. We handle the interconnection paperwork on systems we install.
Questions
Does Kenya have net metering?
Yes. KPLC operates a Net Energy Metering scheme for grid-connected systems, under a framework regulated by EPRA. Exported units earn a credit on your bill.
Do I need an EPRA licence for my own solar system?
Systems below 1 MW installed for your own consumption do not require a generation licence. The installation work itself must still be carried out by EPRA-licensed solar personnel.
How long does net metering take to set up?
Interconnection approval and the net metering application together commonly run to several months from commissioning, with the bi-directional meter installed towards the end of that process.
Planning a grid-connected system?
We design for self-consumption first and handle the KPLC interconnection paperwork on systems we install.