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What Are the Rooftop Solar Rules in the UAE?

UAE rooftop solar rules as of 14 November 2026: DEWA, EtihadWE, SEWA and Abu Dhabi compared on export treatment and size limits, with a guide for each.

By Basheer Ansari, Co-Founder & Managing Director

8 min readLast reviewed

A solar design plan: each one starts from the rules of the utility that bills you.Illustration

The short answer

Each emirate's utility sets its own rooftop solar rules. Dubai uses net metering under Shams Dubai. Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah have EtihadWE's DSS rules. Abu Dhabi allows self-consumption only. Sharjah's SEWA publishes no customer programme. This page compares them as of 14 November 2026 and links one guide for each.

On this page9 sections

What are the rooftop solar rules in the UAE?

Each emirate's utility sets its own rooftop solar rules. Dubai's DEWA credits surplus power on future bills. EtihadWE has published its Distributed Solar Systems (DSS) rules for the Northern Emirates but lists no application service yet. Abu Dhabi allows self-consumption only, and Sharjah's SEWA publishes no customer programme. All of this is as of 14 November 2026.

Net metering
Imports and exports are netted on one bidirectional meter and surplus becomes credit on future bills. In the UAE this is Dubai's Shams Dubai rule.
Zero-export
A system sized to your daytime load that sends nothing to the grid.

How do the rules compare from one emirate to the next?

  • Emirates served

    DEWA
    Dubai
    EtihadWE
    Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah
    SEWA
    Sharjah
    Abu Dhabi DoE with TAQA Distribution
    Abu Dhabi, with AADC in Al Ain

  • Grid-connected scheme

    DEWA
    Shams Dubai
    EtihadWE
    Distributed Solar Systems (DSS)
    SEWA
    Not published
    Abu Dhabi DoE with TAQA Distribution
    DoE rooftop solar policy

  • Export treatment

    DEWA
    Net metering: surplus carried forward as credit on future bills, no cash
    EtihadWE
    All solar exported through a second DSS meter, billed monthly as Net = A − B. Rules published September 2024. No application service listed
    SEWA
    Not published
    Abu Dhabi DoE with TAQA Distribution
    Self-consumption only. No export at this stage

  • Size limit

    DEWA
    Share of your plot's connected load, up to 1,000 kW per plot
    EtihadWE
    10% of the connected load, up to 1,000 kW per account
    SEWA
    Not published
    Abu Dhabi DoE with TAQA Distribution
    Not published

  • Guide

    DEWA
    Shams Dubai guide
    EtihadWE
    EtihadWE DSS guide
    SEWA
    SEWA guide
    Abu Dhabi DoE with TAQA Distribution
    Abu Dhabi guide
Table 1. Rooftop solar rules by utility, as of 14 November 2026. "Not published" means we found nothing on the utility's own pages.

What are the rules in Dubai under Shams Dubai?

DEWA's Shams Dubai programme connects rooftop solar to Dubai's grid under net metering. It rests on Executive Council Resolution No. (46) of 2014, and DEWA's current Connection Conditions are Version 4.1 from November 2025.

Panels go on rooftops, facades or other existing structures, wholly within your plot, and the power offsets only your own DEWA accounts there. When you export more than you import in a billing cycle, DEWA carries the surplus forward to the next cycle with no limit of time or quantity. It pays no cash for surplus, and any surplus left when the account closes is forfeited.

DEWA sets the size by your plot's Total Connected Load: 100% of the first 100 kW, lower shares for each further slab, and never more than 1,000 kW per plot. Only DEWA-enrolled contractors and consultants can submit the application.

Read the full process in our Shams Dubai guide.

What are the rules for Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah?

EtihadWE supplies these four emirates. With the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, it announced its Distributed Solar Systems (DSS) scheme on 22 September 2024 and published the rules in two Version 1 documents.

Under the DSS, all the power your panels make goes through a second meter. Each month EtihadWE bills the difference: Net = A − B. A DSS may be up to 10% of your account's connected load and never more than 1,000 kW, on rooftops only. Phase 1 covers Residential Local, Industrial and Agricultural accounts. Industrial accounts on a preferential discounted EtihadWE tariff are not included.

As of 14 November 2026, EtihadWE lists no approved-contractor list, application service or fee schedule for the DSS. Systems in these emirates are installed zero-export today, with hybrid (battery) and off-grid options.

Read the clause-by-clause breakdown in our EtihadWE DSS guide.

What are the rules in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain?

Abu Dhabi's Department of Energy (DoE) runs a rooftop solar policy, effective 5 February 2026. It is for self-consumption. DoE says net metering and energy exports are not permitted at this stage.

The policy covers any customer, a person or a company, supplied under TAQA's current tariffs. Phase 1 started with farms, rest houses and ranches. Phase 2, announced on 31 March 2026, extends the policy to villa owners and residential buildings where applicable. DoE assesses large consumers case by case. The policy says DoE will issue detailed guidelines on metering, settlement and applications. We have not found them, and we found no published size limit for homes.

Customers deal with TAQA Distribution, and AADC serves Al Ain city. Confirm which one covers your meter.

Read more in our Abu Dhabi guide.

What are the rules in Sharjah?

As of 14 November 2026, SEWA publishes no customer rooftop-solar connection or net-metering programme on its website or its e-services portal. We found no application service, size cap or fee for solar there.

Two things are easy to mistake for a customer programme. SEWA's 60 MW Sana solar plant, opened on 25 June 2025, is a utility project. Sharjah Sustainable City's net metering, reported in 2022, is run by the developer for that community.

SEWA's customer line is 600 566 665 if you want its current position.

Read more in our Sharjah guide.

Which system types are available in each emirate?

In every emirate, systems are designed to each site's needs: zero-export, hybrid (battery) or off-grid.

In Dubai, DEWA credits your surplus on future bills, so a grid-connected system needs no battery. In Dubai, off-grid is offered for any site, including DEWA-connected ones. An off-grid system runs its own circuits and is never connected to the DEWA grid.

For battery choices, see our guide to solar batteries.

How much can I save in each emirate?

Tariffs differ by utility, so savings do too. Our guide to solar costs by emirate shows them for each one. For pages on the areas we cover, see locations.

Sources

UAE solar rules FAQs

All 48 questions →

No. As of 14 November 2026, net metering with credits on future bills is Dubai's Shams Dubai rule. EtihadWE's DSS bills export through a second meter, Abu Dhabi does not permit net metering or exports at this stage, and SEWA publishes no customer programme.

Not for cash. In Dubai, DEWA carries surplus forward as credit on future bills and pays no money for it. Abu Dhabi does not permit exports at this stage. Under EtihadWE's DSS, exports are netted against your bill each month. Any credit on your account is forfeited when the account closes, with no payment. SEWA publishes no customer rooftop programme as of 14 November 2026.

Yes, in some emirates. EtihadWE's DSS covers Residential Local, Industrial and Agricultural accounts in phase 1. DEWA sets size by your plot's connected load. Abu Dhabi's policy covers any customer: homes, businesses and industry, with large consumers assessed case by case.

The utility that issues your bill decides. In Khor Fakkan and Kalba, check whose name is on your bill: if it is SEWA, Sharjah's position applies. Al Ain is served by AADC under TAQA Distribution, so Abu Dhabi's policy applies.

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