Namibia has received continental recognition for its progress in distributed generation of electricity (DG), also known as embedded generation (EG).
DG or EG refers to electricity that is produced close to where it is used, for example, solar panels installed on the rooftops of homes, businesses, and farms, rather than at large, centralised power stations.
The recognition was awarded during the GET.transform Distributed Generation Programme meeting which took place early in July in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Electricity Control Board (ECB), Namibia’s electricity regulator, said the recognition was earned in particular through the development, review, and implementation of the country’s Net Metering Rules and Embedded Generation Standards.
Net Metering is a billing arrangement that allows customers who generate their own electricity to feed any surplus power they do not use into the national electricity grid and receive credit on their electricity bills in return.
The GET.transform Distributed Generation Programme was established in 2024 to help African countries expand small-scale, locally-produced electricity, with a specific focus on designing and implementing Net Metering frameworks.
Namibia was identified as one of the leading countries within the programme because of its existing regulatory framework, the set of laws, rules, and licensing requirements that govern how electricity may be generated, connected, sold and its successful implementation of Embedded Generation and Net Metering.
These achievements have positioned Namibia as a benchmark, or model example, for the other participating African countries that joined the programme during the 2024–2025 cycle.
One of the key outcomes of the programme is the DG Online Platform, which the ECB is scheduled to launch in August 2026. This is a web-based system designed to make it easier to manage, monitor, and promote small-scale electricity generation in Namibia.
The continental recognition underscores Namibia’s commitment to creating an enabling regulatory environment with rules and processes that encourage, rather than hinder, investment in the electricity sector, for renewable energy integration, which is the process of bringing power from natural sources such as the sun and wind into the national electricity supply.
The ECB recently finalised a comprehensive review of the Economic Rules, Net Metering Rules, and the Tariff Methodology for generation, transmission, and distribution.
This follows widespread stakeholder consultations that started in 2023. The final stakeholder validation engagement was held in Windhoek on 9 February.
Net Metering Rules introduce complementary objectives to empower consumers through self-generation and reduce grid reliance, promote renewables, and deliver socio-economic benefits.
Net metering allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity from solar power to ‘bank’ or ‘store’ their electricity in times of overproduction in the distribution grid (e.g. for solar energy during peak production in the day), and to balance out their grid consumption with the banked or stored electricity during times when their systems are not producing (i.e. during evening hours), thus netting their consumption from the grid with their own production.
All renewable energy technologies may be used for Net Metering purposes, including but not limited to facilities for the production of electrical energy that uses solar, wind, water, geothermal, biomass, biogas, biofuel, or fuel cell resources.
All distribution consumers are allowed to install net metered facilities at their own cost subject to the Electricity Act, the new rules and other rules, regulations code, and standards under the Act.
