Singapore Solar Regulations: EMA and SP Group Rules

Last updated: November 2026

The licence line in Singapore is 1 MWac, and the export scheme you join depends on who sells you power. Singapore has one regulator, one grid company and one wholesale market. That keeps the process short. This guide covers the licence line at 1 MWac and the connection steps, with forms and timelines. It also explains how export payments work and what a design needs before you quote.

In this guide:

• The regulatory map
• Licence thresholds and the 1 MWac line
• Grid connection steps, forms and timelines
• How export payments work
• SolarNova and the public sector
• Costs and design rules for commercial and industrial (C&I) sites
• Installer checklist

The Regulatory Map

Five bodies matter on a solar project in Singapore. The table shows who decides what.

Sources: the EMA implementation guide (last updated 27 May 2025) and the SP Group guide for non-residential consumers (December 2022).

The people and bodies in that table:

• EMA (Energy Market Authority): the power sector regulator. It issues licences.
• SP Group: the grid company. SP PowerGrid checks your connection design. SP Services handles meters, bills and export payments.
• EMC (Energy Market Company): runs the wholesale electricity market. Larger systems register here.
• Qualified Person (QP): an architect registered with the Board of Architects, or a Professional Engineer registered with the Professional Engineers Board. EMA says solar vendors usually include the QP in their service.
• HDB: the Housing & Development Board, the public housing agency. EMA names it in the SolarNova programme.

For the licence side in more depth, see our EMA licensing guide. For the wider rule set, see Singapore solar compliance. Other markets are in our Asia-Pacific solar compliance hub.

Licence Thresholds and the 1 MWac Line

The line is 1 MWac. MWac means the total AC output of your inverters at the point where you connect to the grid.

• Below 1 MWac: EMA says you need no licence under the Electricity (Electricity Generation Licence) (Exemption) (No. 2) Order.
• 1 MWac or more, but below 10 MWac: SP Group’s guide says a grid-connected system needs a Wholesaler (Generation) Licence.
• 10 MWac or more: a grid-connected system needs a Generation Licence.

The SP Group process chart (October 2024) shows EMA licence approval taking 6 to 8 weeks. You must have the licence before turn-on. SP Group’s guide also notes that an Electrical Installation Licence may still be needed, even for a system that needs no generation licence.

Source: EMA, evaluating the potential for solar PV, EMA industry licences.

What Permits Does an Industrial Facility Need?

Plan for four approvals. Start the first two at design stage.

1. Qualified Person. The QP checks that the design and installation meet the rules. EMA says the QP may also need approvals from BCA for structural safety, URA for planning permission, and SCDF for fire safety.
2. Licensed Electrical Worker. Only an LEW may do the electrical work. For a non-domestic site with load over 45 kVA, an Electrical Installation Licence covers the system once the LEW connects it.
3. EMA licence. Needed only at 1 MWac and above (see above).
4. SP Group connection and turn-on. Your LEW files the application and SP Group clears it. The steps are below.

For rooftop fire and building rules, see our BCA and SCDF guide. For the LEW licence classes, see the LEW licensing guide.

The Grid Connection Process

These steps follow SP Group’s October 2024 process chart for a system connected at low tension (LT) below 1 MWac. Larger and high-tension (HT) systems have more steps.

1. Hire a QP and an LEW. Do this before you buy equipment.
2. File the application. Your LEW sends the forms to SP Services through the SP eBusiness portal. The December 2022 guide lists these documents:
   • Document Checklist and Declaration of Compliance to SP PowerGrid’s Technical Requirements
   • Application for Net Export Rebate form
   • Letter of Consent
   • Power quality (PQ) compliance report
   • Inverter and solar panel specifications
   • Inverter type test reports (harmonics, flicker, DC injection)
   • Single line diagram (SLD), a simple drawing of how the system is wired, from the PV system to the point of common coupling
   • PSO data form (only for systems of 1 MWac and above)
3. Wait for Letter PV1. SP Services issues Letter PV1 to start the technical review. The chart shows 10 business days for this.
4. Technical review. SP PowerGrid checks power quality and the connection design. Your LEW answers any questions. SP then issues Letter PV2 once everything is in order.
5. Meter change. The LEW applies to swap the load meter for a two-way meter. The chart shows 4 business days. If you choose no export rebate, this swap is not needed.
6. Turn-on. SP Services sends a turn-on appointment letter. For LT systems below 1 MWac, the chart shows turn-on within 10 calendar days once the inspection passes. For non-residential sites above 45 kVA, turn-on follows once the LEW confirms the system is in order.
7. Commissioning paperwork. For a premises with an Electrical Installation Licence, the December 2022 guide says the LEW sends the Commissioning Declaration within 7 days of commissioning.

SP Group updates these forms. Check the SP Group solar resources page for the current versions before you file. The SP Group overview process chart is dated October 2024.

Export Payments: Who Gets Paid What

EMA lists three cases. The rate is not the same for everyone.

Source: EMA payment schemes (last updated 27 May 2025).

Some details to know:

• A non-contestable consumer cannot register an embedded facility with EMC (SP Group process chart).
• SP Group’s December 2022 guide says ECIS pays the “weighted average nodal price”. EMA’s current page says wholesale prices, with USEP as a key part. If you quote a rate, say which document you used.
• Under ECIS you can measure solar output with a meter, or use the Solar Generation Profile (SGP) that EMA approves, which needs no extra meter.
• If you do not want to be paid for exports, a contestable consumer below 10 MWac can register as a Non-Exporting Intermittent Generation Facility (NEIGF). You then pay an estimated fixed charge every six months.
• EMA says it is deferring the Intermittency Pricing Mechanism (IPM) and will consult the industry later.

EMA also lists a solar aggregator model. It lets a nominated third party receive consolidated payments and meter data from SP Group. EMA describes it as a future enhancement, so do not build a business case on it yet.

Our net metering installer reference compares this with net metering rules in other countries.

SolarNova and the Public-Sector Market

EMA says SolarRoof and SolarNova are whole-of-government efforts to combine demand for solar across agencies. They cover HDB flats and public buildings. Under SolarNova, HDB has so far committed 455 MWp across its estates. EMA says that equals power for about 114,000 four-room flats.

EMA’s Q2 2026 data shows where the 2,339 MWp sits:

• Private sector: 63.7% (1,490.6 MWp)
• Town councils and public housing common services: 23.7% (555.5 MWp)
• Public service agencies: 6.7% (156.4 MWp)
• Residential sector: 5.8% (136.3 MWp)

Source: EMA solar overview (last updated 10 Sep 2026) and EMA installed capacity statistics (5 Oct 2026).

Costs and Design Rules for C&I Sites

EMA publishes these cost figures for rooftop PV:

• Upfront cost: S$1,000 to S$1,600 per kWp. Smaller systems cost more per kWp.
• Example from EMA: a 10 kWp residential system at about S$1,660/kWp, and a 1,000 kWp industrial system at about S$1,009/kWp.
• Yearly operation and maintenance for residential systems: about 1% to 2% of system cost.
• Payback: about 7 years for residential. Higher users with larger systems may see 4 to 5 years.
• Cost of power from small rooftop systems: about S$0.11 to S$0.15 per kWh.

Source: EMA, evaluating the potential for solar PV (EMA’s page is dated 11 Mar 2025). EMA notes that payback varies with system size and electricity use.

Design rules that follow from the payment schemes:

• Size to daytime load. Power you use on site avoids a bill. Power you export is paid under the scheme above.
• Get half-hourly load data. ECIS pays by half-hour prices, so half-hourly data shows what you will really export.
• Check the roof first. EMA warns about roofs with many small sections, steep or complex roofs, and shade from nearby structures. Ask the QP to check the structure.
• Price exports at the scheme rate. Do not value them at the full bill rate.

A cloud solar design platform with shadow analysis and a financial modeling tool can help you test these inputs on a real roof.

Installer Compliance Checklist

Before you commit to a Singapore project:

• Check system size against the 1 MWac licence line. Plan for the 6 to 8 week licence step if you are at or above it.
• Hire the QP at design stage. Ask which BCA, URA or SCDF approvals apply.
• Hire an LEW of the right grade before you buy equipment.
• Prepare the SP Group document set: compliance checklist, Net Export Rebate form, Letter of Consent, PQ report, equipment data, type test reports and SLD.
• Confirm whether the customer buys from SP Group or a retailer. That sets the export scheme.
• Pull half-hourly load data before you size a C&I system.
• Download the current SP Group forms on the day you file.

What Installers Often Get Wrong

Using one export rate for every customer. A non-contestable customer gets the regulated tariff minus grid charges. A contestable customer gets the wholesale-based ECIS rate. Check which one applies.

Starting the QP and LEW late. Both shape the design. Hiring them after you buy equipment can force a redesign.

Leaving out the paperwork lead time. The EMA licence step is 6 to 8 weeks. The SP Group chart also shows 10 business days for Letter PV1. It shows 20 business days to the effective date of EMC market participant registration, and 30 business days for EMC facility registration.

Conclusion

Three actions this week:

• Split avoided-bill savings from export income in your proposal template.
• Add the 1 MWac line, the QP and the LEW to your project intake checklist.
• Ask every customer whether they buy from SP Group or a retailer.

To model site yield and costs on a real roof, book a SurgePV demo. For other markets, see our net metering installer reference and UAE solar regulations guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who regulates solar energy in Singapore?

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) licenses the power sector and sets the solar rules. SP Group runs the grid. Its unit SP PowerGrid checks the connection, and SP Services handles meters, bills and export payments. The Energy Market Company (EMC) runs the wholesale market. The Housing & Development Board (HDB), the public housing agency, has committed solar capacity on its estates under the SolarNova programme.

What permits and grid connection steps are needed to install solar on an industrial facility?

Hire a Qualified Person (a registered architect or Professional Engineer) and a Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW). The Qualified Person may need approvals from BCA (structure), URA (planning) and SCDF (fire safety). The LEW applies to SP Services for connection, and SP PowerGrid reviews the design. Below 1 MWac you need no EMA licence. At 1 MWac and above you must apply for one. Register for export payment if you want to be paid for excess power.

How is excess solar power paid for in Singapore?

It depends on who you are. A non-contestable consumer (buys from SP Group) with a system below 1 MWac can join the Simplified Credit Treatment scheme. EMA says the payment is the regulated tariff minus grid charges, credited to the monthly bill. A contestable consumer (buys from a retailer) with less than 10 MWac of embedded solar can join the Enhanced Central Intermediary Scheme (ECIS). EMA says ECIS pays the half-hourly wholesale price, and a key part of that price is the Uniform Singapore Energy Price (USEP).

Do I need a licence to install solar in Singapore?

Not below 1 MWac. EMA says systems of less than 1 MWac need no licence under the Electricity (Electricity Generation Licence) (Exemption) (No. 2) Order. SP Group’s guide says a grid-connected system of 1 MWac or more but below 10 MWac needs a Wholesaler (Generation) Licence. At 10 MWac or more, it needs a Generation Licence. An Electrical Installation Licence may still be needed.

What is Singapore’s solar target?

EMA says Singapore reached its 2030 target of 2 GWp early, so it raised the target to 3 GWp by 2030. EMA reports 2,339 MWp of grid-connected solar at the end of Q2 2026.

Can homeowners install solar in Singapore?

Yes. EMA publishes a guide for installing solar at your home. You need a Qualified Person and a Licensed Electrical Worker, as for any other site. EMA’s Q2 2026 statistics show 136.3 MWp (5.8%) of installed capacity in the residential sector.