May 16, Colombo (LNW): The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has announced a significant leap in Sri Lanka’s renewable energy journey, confirming that the country’s installed rooftop solar capacity has reached 1,700 megawatts as of 1 May 2025.
This milestone represents a major achievement in the nation’s efforts to shift towards cleaner, decentralised power generation.
In a public statement, the state-owned electricity provider attributed this accomplishment to the increasing participation of households, businesses, and institutions in adopting rooftop solar technology.
The CEB expressed its gratitude to all solar producers, noting that their contributions are helping to transform the country’s energy landscape and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
“This remarkable progress reflects the growing commitment of Sri Lankan citizens and institutions towards a greener, more sustainable energy future,” the CEB stated.
The Board also acknowledged the strategic importance of small-scale, distributed energy production in building a resilient and environmentally responsible national grid.
The 1,700 MW figure represents the total installed capacity from rooftop solar systems across the island, including those under net metering, net accounting, and net-plus schemes.
These solar systems not only reduce electricity bills for consumers but also enable them to contribute excess power back into the national grid.
Over the past few years, the rooftop solar sector in Sri Lanka has expanded rapidly, driven by several government-backed incentives, regulatory reforms, and growing public awareness of environmental issues.
This expansion is also aligned with the country’s long-term goal of achieving 70 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Sri Lanka’s geographical location, with high solar irradiance throughout the year, offers ideal conditions for photovoltaic energy generation. As fuel prices and climate-related concerns rise globally, rooftop solar offers an increasingly attractive alternative, particularly in a country still recovering from an economic crisis and facing energy security challenges.
The CEB has also been actively working with international donors, private sector partners, and local communities to streamline solar grid integration, modernise infrastructure, and improve service delivery.
Future plans are expected to include further automation of metering, grid balancing technologies, and battery storage solutions to stabilise intermittent supply from renewables.
Energy analysts have welcomed this development but caution that continued investment in policy frameworks, grid modernisation, and affordable financing is necessary to sustain momentum.
They point to bureaucratic delays and connection bottlenecks that some solar users still face when linking to the national grid.
Nonetheless, the achievement of 1,700 MW installed capacity marks a promising turning point in Sri Lanka’s transition to renewable energy. It reflects not only the technical feasibility of large-scale rooftop solar adoption, but also growing public support for sustainable development at a grassroots level.
