Solar Panels in Qatar, How to Install Them with BeSolar

How Do Solar Panels in Qatar Connect to the Grid?

Solar panels in Qatar can be plugged into the national grid through BeSolar, a service that the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) launched on 18 August 2024.

Customers are able to install solar panels on their homes or business premises and use the electricity that they generate themselves. Any surplus electricity can be fed into the Kahramaa grid and customers receive a credit for it. This is known as net billing, and Kahramaa fits a two-way electricity meter to measure how much electricity is being fed back into its grid. The Kahramaa bills of the customer are reduced accordingly.

The rollout of BeSolar followed a policy numbered KM-PW-PL01, issued by Kahramaa on 14 May 2024, governing the connection of renewable energy systems to its distribution network. As reported by Qatar News Agency, it is part of the national goal to generate 200 megawatts of electricity from distributed systems by 2030.

Arady explains below who can take advantage of BeSolar, how net billing works and the steps that need to be followed.

Who Can Install a Solar System?

Kahramaa says on its BeSolar page that all customers are eligible to install a solar system. The policy classifies customers into seven categories, including residential, agricultural (farms and ezab, meaning livestock farms), commercial (shops and offices) and industrial (factories). The following conditions apply.

• The customer should be the owner of the property or have authorization in writing from the owner
• The property should be connected to the Kahramaa network, or an application for a new connection should have been submitted
• The installed capacity of the solar system should not exceed the contracted load of the customer
• The installed capacity should be more than 1 kilowatt and less than 25 megawatts
• Electricity generation should not be the main activity of the customer

In the case of tenants, Kahramaa says that they too can benefit from a solar system on the building, but the application must be submitted by the owner of the property.

A Kahramaa official told Qatar News Agency that whether or not a solar system suits a home largely depends on two factors, the available roof area and the amount of electricity being consumed.

How Does Net Billing Work?

Kahramaa purchases any electricity produced in excess of the needs of the customer at a price of QAR 0.237 per kilowatt hour, for all customer categories. According to the policy, Kahramaa may review this surplus price annually.

The meter measures consumption and export on an hourly basis. In case the production of a customer exceeds the consumption within any hourly metering interval, the surplus electricity is exported to the Kahramaa network. The amount of electricity exported and the credit applied are shown on the monthly bill.

In case the credit exceeds the value of the consumption, the remaining credit is carried over to the next billing cycle. However, Kahramaa reserves the right to decrease or reset the carried over credit at the end of each calendar year.

In case a customer terminates the account, Kahramaa deducts the accumulated credit from the final invoice within 60 days, and any excess credit is forfeited. The table below lists the key figures.

The calculator below estimates the credit for exported electricity at the current surplus price.

What Are the Steps to Install Solar Panels?

Once a customer has selected one of the contractors authorized by Kahramaa, it is the job of the contractor to do most of the leg work, Kahramaa explained at the launch. The steps customers should expect are as follows.

1. The customer selects a contractor approved by Kahramaa
2. The contractor follows up the application and gets the initial approval
3. The contractor prepares the technical design
4. Once the connection is approved, the contractor installs the solar system
5. Upon completion of the installation, the contractor informs Kahramaa
6. Kahramaa connects the customer to smart meters and solar generation starts

According to the BeSolar page, applications are submitted through the Building Permit System of the Ministry of Municipality, and customers must appoint a consultant who is authorized to submit applications to that system. Customers are also required to enter into a connection agreement with Kahramaa, which includes operation and maintenance requirements for the system.

A solar system must include solar panels, an inverter, interface protection and a metering system. Customers are expected to buy panels and inverters from the list of prequalified equipment and suppliers published by Kahramaa. The technical guidelines are available on its Technical Documents page.

How Much Does a Solar System Cost?

No application fee is currently charged by Kahramaa for a solar system, as per its BeSolar page. However, the policy allows Kahramaa to impose connection charges based on justified costs. Under the policy, customers also bear the installation and periodic charges of the billing meter.

According to a Kahramaa official who spoke to Qatar News Agency, suppliers and contractors decide the price of a solar system. It depends on a number of factors, including the system size, the make of the components, and whether the system is added to an existing building or integrated into a new design.

Return on investment also varies from customer to customer. As per the same official, it depends on the customer category, the tariff, the consumption and the performance of the solar system. Those consuming more and paying a higher tariff can expect better returns under net billing.

Owners who are still building can plan the roof with the villa building regulations in Qatar in mind, and can read the Arady guide to a Kahramaa new connection for the electricity supply itself.

Solar Panels for Farms and Businesses

The surplus price applies equally to customers running agricultural, commercial or industrial activities, such as farms, shops, hotels and factories.

Solar panels can be installed on rooftops, above parking areas to also gain the benefit of shading, or on the ground in the case of large projects or available open land, said Kahramaa.

Qatar News Agency reported that 819 solar panels with a capacity of up to 369 kilowatts peak were installed at the building of Al Taadhod Trading and Contracting Group in Birkat Al Awamer. This was the first BeSolar customer. The panels cover around 70 percent of the electricity consumption of the building, according to Kahramaa, whose officials visited the site in December 2025.

Self-consumption may also be done collectively under the policy. In that case, the solar power produced by a single system is consumed by at least two customer groups, as long as they are within 4 kilometers of each other or are connected to the same transformer station.

Do Off-Grid Solar Systems Need Approval?

For off-grid systems, meaning those not connected to the Kahramaa grid, there is no need to apply to Kahramaa. Customers can appoint a specialized company to install an off-grid system, and Kahramaa has released a guide on such systems.

For systems that are connected to the grid, customers should appoint a contractor approved by Kahramaa to undertake the installation and connection work. In December 2025, Kahramaa stressed that any solar system installation and connection to the electricity network should be carried out through Kahramaa only, as reported by Al-Sharq.

Customers can email Kahramaa at [email protected] for queries, or call its call center on 991.

Villas for Sale in Qatar

Buyers looking for a home with a roof of their own can browse villas for sale in Qatar on Arady.

Residential Lands for Sale in Qatar

Those planning a new build with solar in the design can browse residential lands for sale in Qatar.

Sources

• Kahramaa, Policy for Renewable Energy Systems Connected to the Distribution Network, KM-PW-PL01
• Kahramaa, BeSolar service page and FAQs
• Qatar News Agency, Kahramaa launches BeSolar service
• Qatar News Agency, statement by the Kahramaa Director of Production Planning and Business Development
• Qatar News Agency, Kahramaa supports first BeSolar customer
• Al-Sharq, Kahramaa notice on connecting solar systems