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Can I connect rooftop solar to the grid with net metering in Lebanon?

6 min read16 sourcesReviewed by Tatyana Alwan, lawyer, 18 Oct 2026
On this page
  1. Key facts
  2. What Law 318/2023 settles, and what it leaves open
  3. Who regulates rooftop solar since September 2026
  4. Before you install: the roof, the building and the cost
  5. How to find out whether you can connect
  6. It depends on
  7. Common questions
  8. Sources

Short answer

We found no published way for a household to do it as of October 2026. According to LCEC, Law No. 318/2023 (14 December 2023)[1,2] sets the main principles for net metering, yet no application route, export price or meter cost has been confirmed. A September 2026 article said pricing and the export of surplus power were still unresolved[2]. Ask EDL and the electricity regulator.

Also asked as: “EDL net metering application” · “Net metering in Lebanon” · “Can I sell my solar power to EDL?” · “EDL smart meter for solar”

The rules for rooftop solar changed in September 2026, when the cabinet dropped the ministers' solar decision and referred the matter to the electricity regulator, and we had seen no procedures from the regulator by mid-October 2026[2,3,4]. This page covers what was published up to 17 October 2026.

Key facts

The law
Law No. 318/2023 (14 December 2023)[1,2]
What it covers
Net metering in all forms, and peer-to-peer trading through direct power purchase agreements or equipment leasing[1,2]
Household application route
Not published in any source we found (October 2026)
Price for surplus power
Reported as unresolved in September 2026[2]
EDL
Its website lists a net-metering service[5]
Solar installation decision
Joint Decision 1234 of 9 September 2026: dropped; referred to the National Authority for Regulating the Electricity Sector[2,3,4]
EDL tariff (April 2026)
USD 0.10 per kWh for the first 100 kWh, USD 0.27 per kWh above[6]

What Law 318/2023 settles, and what it leaves open

Parliament ratified the Distributed Renewable Energy Law on 14 December 2023[1,2]. According to the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), it sets the main principles for net-metering projects in all forms and for trading renewable power between producers and consumers. Net metering generally means a home sends surplus solar power to the grid and has it counted against what it takes. How Law 318 applies this to households has not been published.

The public record does not yet show what a household would need to do. A Lebanon24 writer said on 18 September 2026 that the law opened the door to individual and collective net metering, but that pricing, grid-use costs and the export of surplus power remain unresolved[2]. We found no published form, export rate, meter fee or processing time. EDL's website menu lists a net-metering service[5], but we have not confirmed what that page says, so ask EDL directly.

Who regulates rooftop solar since September 2026

On 9 September 2026 the ministers of Interior, Public Works and Energy issued Joint Decision 1234, which set the procedure for solar systems below 1.5 MW. It was meant to apply only until the electricity regulator issued its own procedures under Art. 26 of Electricity Law 462/2002[3,4,7]. Within days the cabinet dropped it and referred the regulation of these systems to the National Authority for Regulating the Electricity Sector[2,3,4]. We had seen no procedures from the regulator by mid-October 2026.

Some requirements may still apply. The Energy Ministry said that certain documents, such as engineering certificates and the easement and planning certificate, were already required before the decision[3]. It did not say which rule required them, so ask your municipality and the Order of Engineers what applies to your building today. There is more on whether you need a permit for solar panels.

Before you install: the roof, the building and the cost

In a building with several owners, the top roof belongs to everyone. Under the co-ownership decree, top roofs and lifts are common parts[8,9], although a building's own management regulation may allocate some parts differently. The owners' association can decide to install necessary or useful equipment by at least 75% of owners' votes. No source applies that rule to solar panels, so treat it as our reading and have a lawyer confirm it. See solar panels on a shared roof.

On cost, Al Jazeera reported in October 2026 a household system costing about USD 3,000 (6 panels, one household)[10]. That is a single report, not a price list; see what a solar system costs for an apartment. Banque de l'Habitat's USD renovation loan, up to USD 50,000 over 7 to 10 years[11], may include a solar system. If it does, the bank asks for approval from the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and the written approval of 75% of co-owners[11,12,13] on the building's committee. More in loans for solar panels.

Net metering is worth more when grid power is expensive. Lebanon24 reported on 1 April 2026 that EDL's tariff was USD 0.10 per kWh for the first 100 kWh, USD 0.27 per kWh above[6], and on 14 October 2026 Al-Modon reported a demand to raise it before the cabinet[14]. See what EDL electricity costs per kWh.

How to find out whether you can connect

  1. Get your EDL details together. For any visit, EDL asks you to bring a subscription bill or the building's meter-room number[15]. If the meter is not in your name, ask EDL whether that matters for net metering.
  2. Ask at the EDL customer office for your area. EDL's website lists a net-metering service[5]. Ask whether households can apply now, which form to use, whether you need a new meter and what it costs, how surplus power is credited or paid, and how long the process takes.
  3. Ask the electricity regulator about procedures. Since September 2026 the regulation of systems below 1.5 MW sits with the National Authority for Regulating the Electricity Sector[2,3,4]. Ask whether it has issued procedures and whether they cover connecting to the grid. LCEC, which published a summary of Law 318, may also be able to point you to the right office.
  4. Check the installation rules with the municipality and an engineer. Engineering certificates and the easement and planning certificate were required even before the dropped decision[3]. Ask the municipality what it requires now, and have a structural and an electrical engineer look at the roof.
  5. Get the building's written consent for a shared roof. Under the co-ownership decree, installing necessary or useful equipment takes at least 75% of owners' votes[8,9]; no source applies this to solar panels, so have a lawyer confirm it. Ask the owners' association for a written decision before any panel goes up.
  6. Get every answer in writing. Ask EDL and the regulator for written confirmation of the procedure and any fees, and keep copies.

It depends on

  • Flat or house. On a shared roof, the co-ownership rules on common parts likely require the other owners' consent (our reading; ask a lawyer)[8,9]. If you own a house alone, ask a lawyer whether any consent from others applies.
  • Owner or tenant. The dropped Decision 1234 required the owner's consent when a tenant applied[7]. That rule lapsed, but a tenant should still get the landlord's written consent in or alongside the lease.
  • System size. The September 2026 decision covered systems below 1.5 MW, and the regulator now handles them[2,3,4]. Ask the regulator whether different rules apply to small home systems.
  • Selling power to neighbours. Law 318 covers trading between producers and consumers through direct power purchase agreements or equipment leasing[1,2]. We found no published procedure, so ask a lawyer before you sign any arrangement.

Common questions

Will EDL pay me for the solar power I send to the grid?

Not confirmed. A September 2026 article said pricing, grid-use costs and the export of surplus power under Law 318 were still unresolved[2]. Ask EDL how surplus power is counted before you size your system around it.

Do I need a smart meter for net metering in Lebanon?

No requirement has been published. In 2013 EDL planned to contract for about 1.2 million smart meters within two years[16], and we found no later source on the rollout, so ask EDL which meter a net-metered home needs and what it costs.

Is there a solar permit procedure in force now?

Not a confirmed one. The cabinet dropped Joint Decision 1234 in September 2026 and referred the matter to the electricity regulator, and we had seen no procedures from the regulator by mid-October 2026[2,3,4]. Ask your municipality and the Order of Engineers what they require today.

Sources

Checked against these sources. The numbers in the text point here.

  1. 1.
    Decentralized Renewable Energy Law

    LCEC (Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  2. 2.
  3. 3.
    Solar energy: the government drops the decision and regulation continues

    IMLebanon (Nidaa al-Watan) · 12 Sept 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  4. 4.
  5. 5.
    EDL: new subscription in a completed building connected to the grid

    Electricité du Liban (EDL) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  6. 6.
  7. 7.
    New conditions for installing solar panels in Lebanon

    Al-Modon · 10 Sept 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026

  8. 8.
    Managing the ownership of floors and flats (Dr Nader Abdel Aziz Chaffi, Army Magazine issue 302-303, August 2010)

    Lebanese Army (Army Magazine, "We and the Law" section) · August 2010 · read 17 Oct 2026

  9. 9.
    Legislative Decree No. 88 of 16/9/1983 on co-ownership of built property

    Joseph Wanis Official Site (lawyer Joseph Wanis) · 22 Mar 2019 · read 17 Oct 2026

  10. 10.
  11. 11.
    Banque de l'Habitat - Renovation Loan (USD) details

    Banque de l'Habitat S.A.L. · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  12. 12.
    Banque de l'Habitat - Renovation Loan in LBP: loan details

    Banque de l'Habitat (BDH) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  13. 13.
    Banque de l'Habitat - Construction loan details

    Banque de l'Habitat S.A.L. (BDH) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  14. 14.
  15. 15.
    EDL: transfer a subscription to a new subscriber

    Electricité du Liban (EDL) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026

  16. 16.
    Electricity of Lebanon preparing with service providers to install 1.2 million smart meters

    As-Safir (republished on Khiyam.com) · 16 Sept 2013 · read 17 Oct 2026