How rooftop solar gets approved and connected in the UAE

Every statement below comes from a document published by the authority itself, which we downloaded and read on 4 October 2026. Each one carries its source. Where we could not open an authority's page, we say so instead of filling the gap from memory or from a summary written by someone else.

This post is for reading. Raymitra does not file, track or promise grid-connection approvals in the UAE.

The short version

• In the Northern Emirates, Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE) publishes the full connection process for small solar systems. A contractor it has approved does the work, and there are thirteen steps, from the contractor's turnkey offer to a Permit to Operate.
• In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Energy issued a self-supply policy in February 2026, in phases: first agriculture, rest houses and ranches, then residential. The policy said the connection, metering and approval details would follow in separate guidelines. We did not find them.
• Dubai (DEWA) and Sharjah (SEWA) are not covered here. Their pages could not be read when we checked.

Who sits behind the rules

The EtihadWE connection conditions say they implement Federal Decree-Law No. 17 of 2022, which regulates connecting distributed renewable energy production units to the grid in the UAE (EtihadWE, connection conditions, version 1, September 2024, section 1, read 4 Oct 2026). The Abu Dhabi policy cites the same decree-law among its legal basis (Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, self-supply policy, section 5, read 4 Oct 2026).

The two documents we could read are different in kind: EtihadWE publishes a full process, and Abu Dhabi has a policy and promises the process later. A solar company that works in more than one place should expect one checklist per authority, not one for the country.

Northern Emirates: who can connect

In the first phase, EtihadWE permits distributed solar for three customer segments: residential local, industrial and agricultural. It says other segments will be notified separately (connection conditions, section 1).

The system must sit on a rooftop, at the premises of the account it connects to (section 3, point 12).

Northern Emirates: the thirteen steps

EtihadWE describes the steps an Approved Contractor must complete for its customer (EtihadWE, standards and guidelines, section 7.1, read 4 Oct 2026). In its order:

1. The contractor gives the customer a full turnkey solution: site survey, design package, the utilities' approvals, installation, testing and commissioning.
2. The contractor submits a pre-application to EtihadWE, with the electrical design documents for electrical approval.
3. The contractor designs the system to the standards in that document.
4. EtihadWE gives a pre-application approval that says whether there is available capacity at the proposed point of interconnection.
5. The contractor submits the structural design to the municipality.
6. The municipality reviews it under its own process.
7. With approval from both EtihadWE and the municipality, installation can start from the approved documents.
8. The contractor tells the municipality when installation is complete, for the mechanical inspection.
9. The contractor files the new connection application.
10. The contractor informs EtihadWE and submits the checklist for inspection and testing before interconnection.
11. An EtihadWE inspector checks the installation against that checklist. After both approvals, the contractor can request smart meters, once the connection fees are paid.
12. Testing after interconnection. When the meters are installed the system can be energised for temporary operation.
13. After satisfactory tests, EtihadWE issues a Permit to Operate. Only then can the contractor energise the system and start operation.

If the inspection finds a deviation from the approved design, or the system fails a test, the standard says the contractor must correct it before the Permit to Operate.

The pre-application is not a guarantee

The pre-application exists so the contractor learns early whether there is capacity before finishing the design. EtihadWE states that available capacity is not an assurance that the rest of the process will go through. The approval stays valid for 6 months from the day it is issued (section 7.2).

The pre-application carries the customer details, the contractor details, the system details, an initial design drawing with the point of interconnection, and the list of required documents.

The complete application and the queue

After the pre-application approval, the contractor completes the design and files a full connection application. To count as complete it must include the customer's account details, the system details, solar module details, inverter details and the list of required documents. The main components, such as modules, inverters, cables and interface protection, must come from EtihadWE's list of approved equipment (section 7.3.1).

Then:

• EtihadWE confirms receipt once it has the application and the processing fees. If something is missing, it lists the deficiencies, and the application is deemed withdrawn if the contractor does not answer by the deficiency cure window (section 7.3.2).
• A complete application gets a place in a single queue (section 7.3.3).
• EtihadWE reviews the impact on its network and says whether the connection can be accommodated. If not, it gives reasons and meets the contractor to discuss changes that could make it work (section 7.3.4).
• A later change that EtihadWE calls a material modification sends the application to the back of the queue, unless the contractor withdraws the change (section 7.3.5).

Size, annual limit and the queue

The largest system is the account's connected load multiplied by 10 percent for each of the three segments, and never more than 1,000 kW. The industrial factor excludes industrial customers who benefit from a preferential discounted tariff from EtihadWE. For a hypothetical account with a connected load of 80 kW, that rule gives 8 kW. EtihadWE may revise these limits (connection conditions, section 4).

It also sets an annual limit on approved capacity. If the limit is reached in a calendar year, requests are still approved, but they connect only in the following year, first come first served (section 9).

Meters, bill and what happens when the property changes

Two smart meters are installed: a main meter for consumption from the grid and a solar meter for generation. EtihadWE installs the solar meter and the customer pays for it, including any grid-side changes. The monthly invoice shows production and consumption in kWh (sections 5 and 6).

If the account is disconnected or the agreement ends, any remaining export credits are forfeited. When a property is rented or sold, the customer and the new tenant or owner can jointly ask to move the system to the new account, but the credits do not move with it (section 6).

After connection

The customer must arrange routine maintenance at least once a year, such as panel cleaning. Repairs and equipment replacements go to an Approved Contractor only (section 7).

Abu Dhabi: a policy in phases

The Department of Energy's policy took effect on 05/02/2026, as printed on the document. It covers distributed solar, with or without a battery, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It says self-supply is permitted under Abu Dhabi Law No. 2 of 1998 through the Department's licensing, subject to sector codes and technical standards (section 3.1.1).

The Department's announcements describe two phases. The policy was to apply first to the agricultural sector and to owners of rest houses and ranches (Department of Energy announcement, read 4 Oct 2026). A second phase extends it to the residential sector, covering villa owners and residential buildings where applicable, with a simplified regulatory framework for installation and grid connection procedures (second-phase announcement, read 4 Oct 2026). Neither page names a procedure document.

The policy itself did not set the connection process. It said so: the network connection process and the commercial settlement rules were for other instruments, and the Department would issue guidelines with binding provisions on metering, settlement and the application and approval steps (sections 2.1 and 5). We did not find those guidelines on the pages we read, and we have not verified whether they are out. Check the Department directly before you quote an Abu Dhabi process.

On net metering, the policy is cautious. It defines export electricity as metered separately and not netted or offset, and says nothing in it permits net metering unless the Department explicitly authorises it (sections 2 and 2.1). An Abu Dhabi solar company should not promise a customer the Northern Emirates process or a bill offset on the strength of this policy.

What we could not read

DEWA's Shams Dubai pages and ADDC's pages returned an access error on 4 October 2026. SEWA's home page opened, but it describes no solar scheme. The Al Ain distribution company's site returned nothing. We left all of these out. When a page opens, we add it with its link and date.

What this means for a UAE solar company

• Keep one approval checklist per authority, with the source link and the date you last read it.
• Treat dates as work: the six-month life of a pre-application, the queue position and the annual limit all change when the installation can start.
• Ask the authority, not a summary, when a rule decides a customer's bill.

If you run a UAE solar EPC company and want a CRM for leads, quotes, projects and tasks, ask for early access. The UAE price is on its own page. Raymitra runs in rupees today, so early access means we write to you when a UAE trial opens.