From NEM to Solar ATAP: What Changed, and What Does It Mean for a Quote?

Published by Quinn Lai | By InverPower Technical Team

Published 22 August 2026 · Last updated 22 August 2026

Two things happen when a programme is replaced. The rules change, which everyone notices, and the vocabulary changes, which they do not. An EPCC still saying NEM in a proposal in 2026 is telling a client the document was assembled from an old template, and that is the wrong impression to give before the technical section.

NEM, in one paragraph

Net Energy Metering let a consumer offset the electricity they exported against the electricity they imported, so the bill was settled on the net position. Capacity was allocated from published quotas released in rounds, applications went through SEDA, and once a quota was exhausted applicants waited for the next release.

It closed to new applications at the end of June 2025 after more than 2,600 MW of quota had been awarded across its rounds. Systems already approved under NEM continue to operate under the terms they were approved on — an important point for clients who think the change affects them and are asking their contractor about it.

Solar ATAP, and the four differences

Solar ATAP has been in force since 1 January 2026, executed by the ministry, regulated by the Energy Commission and implemented by SEDA. It keeps the principle that surplus energy is exported and credited, and changes almost everything around it.

Four differences matter in a proposal. There is no quota queue, so applications are accepted year-round rather than in rounds. Capacity limits are stated per connection type — domestic single phase and three phase have their own ceilings, with a connection check above them, and non-domestic installations may be sized against maximum demand up to a cap. The contract runs for a defined tenure, after which the arrangement is self-consumption only. And the export value differs between domestic and non-domestic consumers rather than being a simple one-for-one offset.

The application route also changed in a way that affects EPCC workflow: it is submitted through a registered service provider after the installation is completed and commissioned, rather than approved in advance from a quota allocation.

That sequence has a commercial consequence worth planning for. The client is paying for an installed system before the offset arrangement is confirmed, so the contract and the payment milestones should describe what happens in the interval — and the EPCC should not promise a start date for the credits that depends on somebody else's processing time.

Side by side

Fixing a proposal written under the old rules

Start with the name, then the numbers. Any yield or bill model built on one-for-one offset needs rebuilding on the current export treatment, which is not the same thing and is worth more or less depending on whether the client is domestic or non-domestic. Capacity assumptions need checking against the current limits for that connection type. And the programme tenure belongs in the document, because a client comparing a twenty-five year system against a contract of a different length should be told that, not discover it later.

Then the process. If your proposal says the application is submitted and approved before installation, it is describing the old programme. The current route runs through a registered service provider after commissioning, which changes the sequence you promise the client and the point at which they can expect the arrangement to start.

The design consequence

The shift rewards self-consumption. When export is credited at less than the retail rate — as it is for non-domestic consumers — every unit consumed on site is worth more than every unit sent out, and the design conversation moves toward matching generation to load, load shifting, and storage rather than toward filling the roof.

That is a better conversation to be having anyway. It puts the emphasis on the client's consumption pattern, which is where the real savings are under the current tariff structure, and it makes the case for measuring before designing rather than sizing from a bill total.

It also changes which clients are worth pursuing. Under a one-for-one offset, any roof with sun on it had a case. Under a lower export value, the strongest cases are sites that consume during the day — factories on day shift, cold stores, malls, campuses — and the weakest are premises that sit empty until evening. Qualifying on the load profile rather than the roof size saves everybody a survey.

Sourcing under the current rules

Whichever programme a system falls under, the equipment has to be eligible — the inverter on the SEDA register, the installation certified by a competent person, and the documentation complete enough for the application to go through without a chase. InverPower stocks registered Sungrow inverters and Trinasolar modules in Malaysia with that documentation. Send the bill of materials and it comes with the goods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the change affect existing NEM customers?

No. Systems approved under NEM continue on the terms they were approved on. The change applies to new applications, which now go through Solar ATAP. It is worth saying this plainly to existing clients, who often assume otherwise.

Is there still a quota to wait for?

Not in the way NEM operated. Solar ATAP does not release capacity in quota rounds, so applications are accepted year-round. Capacity limits by connection type still apply, and above them a connection check is required.

When is the application submitted now?

After the installation is completed and commissioned, through a registered PV service provider, rather than in advance against a quota allocation. That changes the sequence an EPCC should describe to a client.

How long does approval take?

It varies with the connection type and whether a connection check is triggered. Rather than quoting a duration, tell the client what the steps are and where the dependencies sit — that survives contact with reality better than a number.

Sources

• SEDA Malaysia — Solar ATAP programme portal, eligibility and application process — https://www.seda.gov.my/reportal/atap/
• SEDA Malaysia — Solar ATAP guidelines document — https://www.seda.gov.my/reportal/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GUIDELINES-FOR-SOLAR-ACCELERATED.pdf
• SEDA Malaysia — Net Energy Metering programme information and closure — https://www.seda.gov.my/reportal/nem/
• TNB — connection confirmation checks and metering arrangements — https://www.tnb.com.my
• SEDA Malaysia — register of approved solar PV inverters — https://www.seda.gov.my

Related InverPower posts:

• Time-of-Use Tariffs and Solar: Why Does the Timing Matter More Than the Total?
• Single-Phase vs Three-Phase Solar Inverters: Which Does Your Project Need?
• Which Solar Inverters Are SEDA-Registered in Malaysia (2026)?