AEDB simplifies regulations for solar, wind power projects

ISLAMABAD: The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has issued simplified certification regulations for installers of solar and wind power projects in the country.

The AEDB Board has enacted new Alternative Energy Development Board (Certification) Regulations, 2021, effective from August 30, 2021.

Previously, the AEDB Board had approved the AEDB (Certification) Regulations in 2018 for the safe, secure and quality-assured supply of solar and wind energy generation projects, products and systems and installation and servicing; thereof, for small-scale industrial, agricultural, commercial and residential consumers.

Under the regulations, the AEDB carried out certification of vendors/installers/service providers for installation of wind and solar systems (both net-metering systems and off-grid systems).

In this regard, the AEDB has certified a total of 126 vendors/installers/service providers who have installed approximately 13,000 net-metering-based systems across the country with the cumulative capacity of more than 200MW.

AEDB chief executive officer Shah Jahan Mirza said that the new simplified regulations will act as a catalyst for promotion and deployment of clean and green energy in Pakistan through distributed generation exploiting huge wind and solar energy potential in the country.

The new regulations have been formulated after extensive consultation with all the stakeholders both in the public and in the private sector to simplify the procedures laid down in the existing regulations for opening up the market to create competition.

Further, to give the broader scope to the regulations and to allow the certified companies to avail the concessional financing of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the regulations are applicable for all sizes of projects for distributed generation, except net-metering, which is up to 1MW only.

The term of the certificate under the new regulations has also been increased from one year to three years.