Answer for Written Question PT004

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd. Salam

YANG BERHORMAT DAYANG HAJAH SAFIAH BINTI SHEIKH HAJI ABD. SALAM asked the MENTERI DI JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI to state the Ministry’s measures to expand the use of solar panels in private homes, covering aspects such as affordability, user acceptance, confidence and readiness, policy support for quality monitoring, enhancement of public knowledge, and long-term economic benefits.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri

Alhamdulillah, the use of rooftop solar panels in private homes has increased nearly fourfold over the past five years, from 0.1 Megawatt Peak (MWp) in 2020 to 0.4 MWp in 2025, reflecting growing user confidence in this technology. This figure only includes installations recorded through the Program Net-metering, whereby surplus solar energy is supplied to the grid as credit to reduce electricity bills. Therefore, there may be more solar installations that have not been recorded because they have not joined this programme.

The initial cost of installing solar panels is one of the main factors considered by users. In this regard, the Government introduced an import tax exemption for solar panels in 2012 as a measure to reduce the initial installation cost. At the same time, the Energy Department continues to work with stakeholders to examine the feasibility of expanding incentives, in order to further encourage the public to use solar technology.

In addition, the Energy Department, through the Autoriti Elektrik Negara Brunei Darussalam (AENBD), has also issued several Code of Practices to ensure that the integration of small- and large-scale solar systems into the national electricity grid is carried out safely and complies with the prescribed standards. In this regard, the public is advised to obtain the services of recognised solar installation companies and contractors, the list of which can be referred to on the Energy Department’s website. The Department also has no objection to members of the public who are interested in installing solar panels at their residences on a "captive" basis, that is, without integration into the national grid.

To support increased public awareness, the Energy Department also published the Program Net-metering Guidelines Book and the Rooftop Solar PV Guidebook in 2022, which were updated last year and uploaded to the Energy Department’s website, in addition to awareness campaigns through television and social media platforms since September 2025. The Energy Department also works with the Information Department to provide briefings through face-to-face programmes at the village and mukim levels, in order to broaden the public’s understanding of solar installations and the Program Net-metering.

Overall, the increased use of solar panels not only helps users save on electricity costs, but also supports efforts to conserve the country’s gas consumption so that it can be utilised for more economical and higher value-added activities in the long term, including the development of downstream oil and gas industries.