Solar Drafting Services Argentina: Ley 27.424 SLDs

Every grid connection in Argentina starts with a set of drawings a distributor will accept. Solar drafting is the step that turns a sold project into an approved one, and a rejected package costs time before the customer sees any savings.

Last updated: November 2026. SurgePV publishes this post and sells solar design software.

The national Secretaría de Energía reported 2,520 projects connected as usuario-generador units, with 64,456 kW installed, in its February 2025 distributed generation report. Commercial and industrial users made up 970 of those units but 50,710 kW of the capacity. That is why drafting quality matters most on mid-size commercial work.

This guide covers how solar drafting works in Argentina. In this guide:

• What solar drafting services deliver and who provides them
• How Ley 27.424 and provincial rules shape every drawing
• Where the market is, using official data
• What drives drafting cost, since no national price list exists
• The standards and distributor rules your SLD must follow
• When manual drafting beats software, and when it does not

What Solar Drafting Services Actually Deliver

A solar drafting service is the technical drawing arm of a project. The installer sells the system and handles the site. The drafter turns site data, equipment choices and local rules into a document package the distributor can review.

A standard residential package usually includes:

• Site layout plan showing module placement, roof or ground area and access paths
• Single-line diagram (SLD) mapping the electrical path from modules through the inverter and protections to the bidirectional meter and the grid
• String configuration with module count per string and voltage windows
• Equipment schedule listing modules, inverter, protections and cable sizing
• Data for the application forms that the user files through the national digital platform
• Yield estimate in kWh per year for the proposal

Commercial and industrial projects add structural notes or calculations and an engineering report where the distributor or jurisdiction asks for one. Larger plants add grid-impact studies. For how an SLD fits the permit step more generally, see our single-line diagram guide.

Under Resolución SE 314/2018, the installer who signs the installation must be an Instalador Calificado. The resolution says the qualification depends on technology, power range and voltage level, with a title or accreditation recognized by the jurisdiction. Ask your drafter who will sign, and under which accreditation.

A drafter who does not know the local distributor’s manual is a liability. A diagram one distributor accepts may need rework for another.

How Ley 27.424 Shapes Every Drawing

Ley 27.424 is Argentina’s national framework for distributed renewable generation connected to the public grid. Decreto 986/2018 regulates it. The framework defines the usuario-generador (user-generator), a distribution customer who installs renewable generation on their supply and can inject surplus energy. Our distributed generation glossary entry explains the term. For the incentive side, see solar incentives in Argentina.

The Secretaría’s regime page lists the legal documents: the law, Decreto 986/2018, Resolución 314/2018 on the usuario-generador, and later resolutions including Resolución 235/2024, which it says raised the power limit for user-generators. The page gives no numerical figure, so read the consolidated text before you size a project near a limit.

The annex of Resolución SE 314/2018 sets the procedure. As published in 2018, it defines three categories by grid-coupling power:

The annex also says generation capacity connected is limited to the user’s contracted demand power, unless the jurisdiction’s regulator authorizes more in advance. The 2 MW cap and other thresholds may have changed in later resolutions, so treat the table as the 2018 text.

The procedure runs on a national digital platform. As published in the annex, the user files Formulario 1A to reserve capacity, and after installation files Formulario 2A to request the bidirectional meter. The installer signs Formulario 2A as a sworn declaration. The distributor’s response period to the first request cannot exceed the period the jurisdiction sets under the law. For small systems up to 3 kW, the annex says the distributor reserves the capacity automatically while total distributed generation on the feeder stays under 20% of its capacity. For the medium category the figure is 10%.

The bidirectional meter measures both consumption and injection. The annex requires an electronic AC meter of class 1 or better for active energy.

Where the Market Is: Official Data

The Secretaría de Energía’s February 2025 report shows how concentrated distributed generation is. Córdoba and Buenos Aires province together held most of the installed capacity.

Source: Secretaría de Energía, February 2025 report. The report is a snapshot, and later press coverage cites higher totals, so check the latest Secretaría release before you quote a figure.

Two points follow for drafters. Most capacity sits in commercial and industrial systems, so the typical high-value job is a mid-size rooftop with structural and protection detail. And the activity is spread across 15 jurisdictions, each with its own distributor practices.

Who Reviews Your Drawings: The Approval Chain

Argentina has no single national permitting body for distributed solar. Approval runs through the local distributor under a jurisdictional regulator, and the application is filed on the Secretaría’s platform.

For a homeowner or small business, the distributor is the gatekeeper. Each distributor publishes technical requirements and form templates, and a drafter’s job is to match them. Check which national body currently regulates the Buenos Aires concessions, as that role can change.

This fragmented chain is why a generic, imported drawing rarely passes the first review. For drafting purposes, Argentina is many markets, not one.

What Drives Solar Drafting Cost in Argentina

No published national tariff exists for solar drafting, and this post does not quote price ranges because none can be sourced. Cost depends on a few things you can ask about directly:

Get quotes in writing with the scope listed line by line. Compare scope before you compare price. A cheap quote that excludes distributor revisions is not cheap.

For an EPC running many projects a month, drafting is a recurring cost and a delay in the pipeline. That is why many installers move standard projects to solar design software and keep outside drafters for the exceptions.

The Standards Your SLD Must Follow

Argentine solar drawings sit on three layers: AEA rules, IRAM standards and the distributor’s own manual.

The first is the Asociación Electrotécnica Argentina (AEA). A trade report by Energía Estratégica describes AEA 90364-7-712, approved in November 2015, as the part of the AEA wiring rules for solar photovoltaic supply systems. It says the rule covers project design, installation, verification and maintenance in low-voltage installations. Check the current edition with AEA before you cite a clause.

The second is IRAM, Argentina’s standards body. Its standards define symbols, component specifications and test references. Use standard symbols on an SLD, and cite the standard your equipment schedule relies on.

The third, and the one that decides approval, is the distributor’s technical manual. It tells you the protection devices, disconnect arrangement, meter type and drawing format it expects. Two projects that look identical on paper can need different SLDs.

A drafter who knows AEA rules but ignores the distributor manual will still get rejected. The reverse is also true. Both layers have to line up.

Manual Drafting vs Software: The Real Tradeoff

There is no universal winner. Manual drafting in a CAD tool gives a skilled engineer full control. For a one-off utility-scale plant with custom medium-voltage protection, that control is worth the time and the fee.

Software helps with repeatable work. SurgePV’s published scope covers 3D roof modeling, array layout, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, electrical workflow support, bill-of-materials output and proposal generation. Its outputs support design and documentation work, but they do not replace approval by the responsible engineer, the distributor or the regulator.

The mistake many installers make is treating this as either-or. A hybrid setup works: software for standard projects, a drafter or engineer on call for the projects that need custom work or a signature.

The other common error is assuming any software output passes automatically. It does not. The SLD still has to match the distributor manual. Ask a vendor to show how the output is adapted to a specific distributor before you rely on it.

For design-side checks that keep layout, strings and SLD consistent, see 7 inputs that must stay consistent between layout, stringing and SLD.

Building a Drafting Workflow That Scales

A drafting bottleneck caps how many projects you can close. This workflow holds up as volume grows.

1. Standardize site capture. Use a fixed checklist: roof or ground area, azimuth, tilt, meter location, contracted demand, distributor name and province. Missing the distributor name is a common cause of rework.
2. Check the jurisdiction’s rules early. Pull the distributor’s current requirements before drawing anything.
3. Generate the standard set from one model. Layout, strings and yield come from the same project record. Reserve manual drafting for the exceptions.
4. Build a financial model beside the drawing. A yield estimate and payback figure turn a drawing package into a proposal that closes.
5. Line up an accredited installer or engineer. Have the signing relationship in place so the signature is a planned step.

Worked Example: Which Rules Apply to a 20 kW Rooftop

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real project. Take a 20 kW commercial rooftop in a province with an active distributed generation framework.

1. Category. At 20 kW the grid-coupling power sits between 3 kW and 300 kW, so it is a medium user-generator (UGme) under the 2018 annex.
2. Capacity limit. The connected power is limited to the user’s contracted demand, unless the regulator authorizes more in advance. So the drafter needs the contracted demand from the bill before sizing.
3. Capacity reservation. The distributor reserves capacity automatically if total distributed generation on the feeder stays under 10% of its capacity. Above that, it still approves the request unless a technical or voltage problem is found.
4. Meter and signature. After installation, the user requests the bidirectional meter with Formulario 2A, signed by the Instalador Calificado.
5. Drawings. The SLD, layout and equipment schedule follow the distributor’s manual and the AEA rules.

None of this involves a price. It shows what a competent drafter has to know before a line is drawn.

Conclusion

Solar drafting in Argentina is a jurisdiction problem before it is a drawing problem. Three actions for installers and EPCs:

• Map your distributors. Keep a folder of current requirements for every territory you work in. The distributor manual decides what your SLD must show.
• Move standard work to a single model. Generate residential and routine commercial sets from one project record, and keep manual drafting for custom projects.
• Fix the signature step. Line up an accredited installer or engineer so signing never becomes the bottleneck.

To see how SurgePV handles the design side of this workflow, book a demo and bring a recent Argentine project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are solar drafting services in Argentina?

Solar drafting services in Argentina prepare the technical drawings and documents for a grid-connected solar system, such as the layout plan, single-line diagram (SLD), equipment schedule and supporting data. They feed the connection process under Ley 27.424, where the distributor reviews the request and a qualified installer signs the installation declaration.

How much do solar drafting services cost in Argentina?

There is no published national price list for solar drafting in Argentina. Cost depends on system size, whether the project has a stamped engineering component, and how many revisions the distributor asks for. Request a written quote that states the scope, the number of revisions and the currency.

What is Ley 27.424 and why does it matter for solar drafting?

Ley 27.424 is Argentina’s national law for distributed renewable generation connected to the public grid. It created the usuario-generador, a distribution customer who generates on site and injects surplus energy. Drawings must match the connection procedure and the local distributor’s technical rules.

Can solar design software replace manual drafting in Argentina?

Partly. Software can speed up layout, shading, bill of materials and yield work, but the single-line diagram still has to match the distributor’s requirements and be reviewed by a qualified person. Utility-scale and medium-voltage work usually needs custom engineering.

What deliverables should I expect from an Argentine solar drafting service?

Expect a site layout plan, a single-line diagram with protections and disconnects, a string configuration, an equipment schedule and the data needed for the application forms. Larger projects may add structural notes or calculations and an engineering report. Confirm the list with the distributor before work starts.

Which authorities review solar drafting documentation in Argentina?

The local electricity distributor reviews and approves the connection request, under the rules of the jurisdiction’s regulator. The national Secretaría de Energía runs the digital platform where the process is filed. Large generators selling into the wholesale market deal with CAMMESA.

How long does a usuario-generador approval take in Argentina?

No single national time applies. Resolución SE 314/2018 says the distributor’s response cannot exceed the period each jurisdiction sets for meter installation under Ley 27.424. Check the period for your province and distributor, and plan the drawing set around it.