Net metering lets a grid-connected plant export surplus solar generation to the distribution network and offset it against the electricity it imports. For factories with weekend shutdowns, Eid holidays or a load that dips at midday, it turns energy that would otherwise be curtailed into a credit on the bill. The principle is simple. The approval path is where projects lose months.
Who approves what
Net metering in Bangladesh is governed by national guidelines and administered by your distribution utility, whether that is DPDC, DESCO, BPDB, REB through its Palli Bidyut Samitis, NESCO or WZPDCO. The utility reviews the application, inspects the installation and installs or approves the bi-directional meter. Rules on maximum system size relative to sanctioned load, and on how surplus credits are settled, are set out in the current guideline and should be checked at the start of every project.
The approval path, step by step
- Pre-application review. Confirm sanctioned load, connection voltage and meter type from recent bills, and check the proposed capacity against the guideline limit.
- Application submission. A completed application with the single-line diagram, equipment datasheets, inverter certificates and ownership documents.
- Technical review. The utility checks protection, anti-islanding and the interconnection point. Queries at this stage are common and are the usual source of delay.
- Installation and testing. The system is built and pre-commissioned by the EPC contractor with test reports ready for inspection.
- Utility inspection and meter installation. The utility inspects the site, seals the bi-directional meter and authorises export.
The mistakes that add three months
- Mismatched documents. The applicant name on the bill, the land or building documents and the application must match exactly.
- An inverter without the right certificates. Anti-islanding and grid-code compliance certificates need to be on file, not promised.
- Oversizing against sanctioned load. A system above the permitted limit is sent back for redesign.
- An unclear single-line diagram. Reviewers need to see protection devices, isolation points and metering clearly marked.
- No one owning the follow-up. Queries answered in days rather than weeks are the single biggest factor in approval speed.
How long it really takes
With complete documents and prompt answers to queries, the utility side of the process can run in step with a typical 12–16 week construction programme. Where applications are incomplete, the same process can stretch to six months or more. The difference is almost entirely administrative, which is why we assign a single engineer to own the application from the first pre-application review until the meter is sealed.
Keep in mind that utility inspection teams serve large areas and schedule visits in batches. Booking the inspection as soon as pre-commissioning tests are complete, with test reports printed and signed, avoids waiting for the next available slot.
Is net metering right for your plant?
If your daytime load always exceeds solar output, you may never export meaningfully, and a simpler zero-export design could be faster to approve. If your load is uneven, or you run a single shift, net metering can raise the value of a system considerably. Our engineers model both cases during a site assessment so the decision rests on your actual load profile.
Written by
Markets & Policy Desk
Business development, Emerged Power
Tracking tariffs, net-metering rules and power-sector planning so factory owners don't have to.