Ask five different people what “permit” means for solar in Bangladesh and you’ll get five different answers. Some will mention SREDA. Others will talk about their DESCO or BREB office. A few will insist you need a building permit, the way you would for an extension or a new floor. The confusion isn’t really anyone’s fault — Bangladesh’s rooftop solar rules changed meaningfully in 2023, then again in 2025, and a lot of what’s still online was written before either update.
Here’s the short version: in Bangladesh, there’s no separate “solar building permit” the way there might be in some other countries. What you actually need is approval to connect your system to the grid under net metering, plus, depending on your building, you may now be required to install solar in the first place. Those are two different things, and mixing them up is where most of the confusion starts.
What Approvals Do You Actually Need?
At a minimum, a grid-tied rooftop solar system in Bangladesh needs:
- Equipment from SREDA’s approved products list — your panels and inverter have to meet Bangladesh Standards (BDS) or equivalent IEC standards
- A net metering application submitted to your local distribution utility (which one depends on where you live)
- Technical drawings — typically a single-line diagram, an earthing diagram, and a layout plan, usually prepared by whoever is installing your system
- A field inspection by the utility before final approval
- An interconnection/net metering agreement signed once everything checks out
That’s the actual permitting process, and it’s run through the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) and your electricity distributor — not through a city building department. If your installer talks about “getting your building permit,” what they usually mean, whether they realize it or not, is this net metering approval process.
Is Rooftop Solar Mandatory for Your Building?
This is the part that catches people off guard. Since 2023, new buildings above a certain rooftop area have been required to install net-metered solar as a condition of getting a grid connection at all — not as an optional upgrade. A revised circular from the Power Division in late 2025 pushed this further, extending the mandatory requirement to buildings with a meaningful amount of usable roof space, with an expectation that the system stays in place for a long stretch of the building’s life.
I’ll be upfront about something here: the exact square-footage thresholds and how strictly they’re enforced have shifted more than once in the past couple of years, and they may shift again. If you’re mid-construction or applying for a new or upgraded connection, the safest move is to ask your utility directly whether your specific building falls under the current mandatory rule, rather than relying on a number from any single article — including this one.
What’s consistent, though, is the direction of travel. If you’re building new, adding a floor, or upgrading from a single-phase to a three-phase connection, there’s a real chance solar isn’t optional for you anymore. That’s worth knowing before you start planning your budget, because it changes solar from “a nice-to-have investment” into “a cost of getting connected.”
The Approval Process, Step by Step
Once you know solar is happening — whether by choice or by requirement — the process generally looks like this:
- Confirm your sanctioned load. This is simply the maximum electricity your connection is approved to draw. It matters because your solar system size is usually capped relative to it, so it’s worth checking this number before you or your installer design the system.
- Choose SREDA-approved equipment. Panels and inverters that aren’t on the approved list can get an application rejected outright, so this isn’t a step to skip or assume your supplier has covered.
- Prepare the technical package. Your installer puts together the single-line diagram, earthing diagram, and layout plan. Panel-frame earthing needs to be shown separately from your building’s existing earthing — a detail that trips up a surprising number of applications.
- Submit the net metering application to your utility — BPDB, BREB, DESCO, DPDC, WZPDCL, or NESCO, depending on your location.
- Clear any outstanding electricity bills. Utilities will reject an application automatically if there’s unpaid dues on the account, so this is worth checking before you apply, not after a rejection.
- Field inspection. Someone from the utility visits to check the proposed installation area and connection point. It genuinely helps to clear rooftop obstructions and think through shading (a water tank in the wrong spot causes more rejected layouts than you’d expect) before this visit happens.
- Approval, installation, and commissioning. Once approved, the physical installation for a typical home system usually moves fairly quickly. The paperwork stage is almost always the longer part.
- Net meter installation by the utility, which is what actually lets your export credit start counting.
Who You Apply Through Depends on Where You Live
| Utility | Common service areas |
| DPDC (Dhaka Power Distribution Company) | Parts of Dhaka |
| DESCO (Dhaka Electric Supply Company) | Parts of Dhaka |
| BREB (Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board) | Rural and semi-urban areas nationwide |
| BPDB (Bangladesh Power Development Board) | Various urban and industrial zones |
| WZPDCL (West Zone Power Distribution Company) | Khulna and the western zone |
| NESCO (Northern Electricity Supply Company) | Rajshahi and the northern zone |
Your net metering application, inspection, and agreement all go through whichever of these serves your address — there’s no single national office handling every case, which is part of why the process can feel different depending on where in the country you’re asking.
Documents You’ll Typically Need
Beyond the technical drawings, most applications also call for:
- Proof of property ownership, or written permission from the owner if you’re not the titleholder
- A copy of your existing electricity bill (used to confirm your account is clear and to check your sanctioned load)
- Equipment specification sheets for your panels and inverter
- Your installer’s credentials, in some cases
Exactly which documents get requested can vary slightly by utility, so it’s worth confirming the current checklist with your specific distributor rather than assuming every office asks for the same paperwork.
How Long Does This Actually Take?
Realistically, plan for the paperwork and approval stage to take longer than the physical installation. For a straightforward home system with a complete application, several weeks is a reasonable expectation; for larger or more complex commercial systems, it can run longer, particularly if the inspection flags something that needs correcting. These are general patterns, not guarantees — an incomplete application or a busy local office can push things out further, and a well-prepared one can move faster.
Special Situations Worth Knowing About
Apartment and multi-unit buildings. If you live in a flat rather than a standalone house, who actually applies for net metering — the building owner/management, or individual unit owners — isn’t something we can state with full confidence here, because it genuinely depends on how the building’s electricity accounts are structured. If this applies to you, it’s worth raising directly with your utility or building management early, rather than assuming.
Tenant-occupied commercial buildings. Where the property owner and the business operating inside it are different parties, net metering eligibility and the resulting savings typically follow whoever holds the electricity connection account. That’s worth pinning down in writing before installation, especially if the system is being financed by one party and used by another.
Upgrading a system installed before 2025. If you already have solar installed under the older guidelines, there’s generally a path to bring it under the current framework, which can matter if you’re planning to expand capacity later.
What Your Installer Should Actually Be Handling
A big part of what makes this process feel overwhelming is that most homeowners have never had to deal with a utility application before. A competent installer should be preparing your technical drawings, confirming your equipment is on the approved list, submitting the application on your behalf, and coordinating the inspection — that’s genuinely part of the service, not an extra. If a quote you’re evaluating doesn’t clearly include this, ask directly what’s included, because “we’ll install the panels” and “we’ll get you fully connected and approved” are not always the same promise.
This is one of the areas where Muspana focuses — not just sizing and installing a system, but making sure the equipment selection and documentation are ready to pass utility review the first time, rather than bouncing back for corrections.
Getting the Sizing Right Matters Here Too
One thing worth mentioning: net metering credit only has value if your system is actually sized sensibly against your sanctioned load and real consumption. A system that’s too small barely dents your bill; one that’s oversized relative to what you’re allowed to export doesn’t necessarily get you proportionally more benefit. It’s worth working through this before you commit to a system size, not after installation.
FAQs
Is rooftop solar mandatory in Bangladesh?
For many new buildings and buildings above a certain rooftop size, yes — recent rules make net-metered solar a condition of getting or upgrading a grid connection. The exact thresholds have changed more than once recently, so confirm your building’s status directly with your utility.
Which authority handles solar approvals in Bangladesh?
SREDA sets the equipment standards and guidelines, but the actual net metering application, inspection, and agreement go through your local distribution utility — BPDB, BREB, DESCO, DPDC, WZPDCL, or NESCO, depending on where you live.
How long does net metering approval take?
It varies by utility and by how complete your application is. A straightforward residential application with clean paperwork tends to move faster than one that needs corrections after inspection; there’s no fixed nationwide timeline.
Do I need a permit for a small home solar system?
Even small residential systems that connect to the grid need to go through the net metering application and approval process with your utility — there isn’t a size threshold below which grid-tied solar skips approval entirely.
What happens if my building doesn’t fall under the mandatory rule?
You can still install solar voluntarily and apply for net metering in the same way — the mandatory rule affects whether solar is required, not whether it’s available to you.
Can apartment owners in Dhaka apply for net metering individually?
This depends on how your building’s electricity accounts are set up and isn’t something to assume either way — check with your building management and utility directly before planning an individual system.
