It is the separate comparison, for each hour, of the electricity an unlicensed generation plant feeds into the grid and draws from the grid.

In this example, 30 kWh of generation is matched with consumption, while the remaining 70 kWh is fed into the grid as surplus energy. Electricity drawn from the grid in the evening is not directly netted against this surplus generated at midday.

The monthly system could balance generation and consumption over a broader period during the month. Electricity generated during the day could be matched with nighttime consumption, allowing the grid to function economically as a form of virtual storage.

Under hourly netting, electricity fed into the grid during the day and electricity purchased from the grid at night become two separate transactions. Therefore, not only total generation and consumption but also the timing profile of both becomes important.

In general, the regulation covers renewable energy-based unlicensed generation facilities that became entitled to receive a call letter for a grid connection agreement on or after May 12, 2019, together with certain facilities covered by the relevant provisions of the Regulation. Monthly netting continues for residential subscriptions.

A facility’s status must be assessed separately according to the date of its call letter, subscriber group, connection structure, acceptance date, and the locations of its generation and consumption facilities. Decisions should therefore not be based on the general assumption that “all rooftop solar plants have moved to the same system.”

The netting system was revised through the regulatory amendment published in Türkiye’s Official Gazette No. 33212 on April 2, 2026. The provisions on hourly netting entered into force on May 1, 2026.

The procedures and principles published in Official Gazette No. 33244 on May 5, 2026 then defined the calculation, data transfer, and operational process. The transactions are carried out through EPİAŞ’s Unlicensed Generation Module.

No. However, it makes correct sizing much more important. Rooftop solar retains its value in reducing electricity costs, limiting energy price risk, and lowering emissions.

The central question in the new period is: How much of the electricity generated can the business use within the same hour?

High annual generation alone does not mean high savings. If generation does not match the business’s hourly consumption, the expected financial performance may not materialise.

Using self-generated electricity within the same hour is, in most cases, more valuable than feeding that electricity into the grid and purchasing it again later. Self-consumption reduces the amount of electricity purchased from the grid and the associated total cost.

Surplus energy is evaluated under the sales and pricing mechanism defined by the legislation. Its economic value may not be equal to the total cost of electricity the business purchases from the grid.

Suppose a factory’s daily consumption and rooftop solar generation are each 2,000 kWh. In total, they appear to be perfectly balanced. But if the solar plant generates 2,000 kWh during the day while the factory consumes only 800 kWh during those same hours, 1,200 kWh is exported to the grid. The factory then purchases another 1,200 kWh during the evening and night.

Even if the monthly or daily totals are equal, the economic result is not. Two plants with the same installed capacity can have entirely different payback periods because of different operating hours.

Businesses with regular and high daytime consumption can use a larger share of generation as it is produced. Examples include:

• manufacturing plants operating daytime shifts,
• businesses with high cooling and air-conditioning loads,
• logistics and cold-storage facilities,
• hotels, hospitals, and shopping centres,
• electric vehicle and forklift fleets charged during the day,
• continuously operating pumps, compressors, and process systems.

Businesses that operate mainly in the evening or at night, stop at weekends, or have seasonal production must analyse generation-consumption alignment more carefully.

Many industrial plants consume large amounts of electricity on weekdays but reduce or stop production at weekends. The rooftop solar plant, however, continues to generate whenever sunlight is available. A capacity calculation based only on weekday data can create a large surplus, particularly in summer.

Weekdays and weekends, summer and winter, shift and non-shift operation, maintenance shutdowns, public holidays, and seasonal production changes should be examined separately in the feasibility study.

No. The bill shows total consumption but does not show when that consumption occurs during the day. A sound analysis preferably requires hourly consumption data covering the last 12 months.

• Hourly and seasonal consumption profile
• Shift and weekend operating patterns
• Roof orientation, inclination, and shading conditions
• Hourly solar generation simulation
• Electricity tariff and sales mechanism
• Self-consumption and surplus energy ratios

Without these data, the proposed capacity remains a general estimate rather than an engineering calculation.

Even if installed capacity cannot be changed immediately, consumption can be shifted closer to generation hours. Energy-intensive processes, pumps, compressors, cooling systems, and vehicle charging can be scheduled for hours of high solar generation.

At suitable facilities, thermal storage, pre-cooling/pre-heating, shift optimisation, weather forecast-based load management, and battery options can be evaluated together. The aim is not to increase generation but to use more of the existing generation within the business.

No. A battery is not an automatic solution for every facility. Investment cost, cycle losses, service life, safety, maintenance, and regulation must be assessed together.

For some businesses, shifting loads into daylight hours or using thermal storage may be more economical than a battery. The decision requires calculating the quantity and timing of surplus energy, the battery’s annual cycle count, peak-demand reduction potential, and payback period.

Not always. At some businesses, lower installed capacity can deliver higher self-consumption and a shorter payback period, while at others it may still be economical to use the entire roof.

Scenarios involving low capacity–high self-consumption, balanced capacity–limited surplus, high capacity–high grid sales, load-shifted operation, storage, and future consumption growth should be compared.

The right question is not “How many MW can this roof accommodate?” but “How many MW can this business use economically?”

No. Surplus generation remaining after hourly netting can be fed into the grid under the relevant legislation and evaluated within the paid generation limits.

However, its sales value may not equal the total cost of electricity purchased from the grid. The annual paid generation limit and quantities that could become a contribution to YEKDEM without payment must be checked for each project.

1. Hourly load profile: Determine when and how much electricity the business consumes.

2. Hourly generation simulation: Prepare a generation forecast using roof, panel orientation, inclination, shading, inverter, and irradiation data.

3. Generation-consumption matching: Calculate self-consumption, electricity fed into the grid, electricity drawn from the grid, savings, sales revenue, and payback for each hour.

This allows the investment to be designed around the business’s actual energy behaviour rather than panel capacity alone.

It turns rooftop solar from a stand-alone electricity generation installation into infrastructure that must be considered together with the business’s shift structure, processes, and energy management.

Installing panels is still important. But when and how the electricity generated is used is now as valuable as panel capacity.

Zerbon does not evaluate a rooftop solar investment solely through installed capacity and annual generation. Hourly consumption, operating hours, production processes, and future energy demand are analysed together.

Different capacity scenarios are compared, and self-consumption, surplus energy, and investment payback are calculated. Where necessary, load shifting, shift optimisation, thermal use, electric vehicle charging, storage, and existing rooftop solar performance are addressed within the same system.

The objective is not merely to generate more electricity, but to obtain greater economic value from the energy generated.