GPL establishes LCDS solar express lane to fast-track customer solar integration

The Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) has announced the establishment of an LCDS Solar Express Lane, a streamlined process aimed at accelerating the review, approval, and grid integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for all eligible customers, including residential, commercial, and industrial users.
The initiative supports the Government of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, which promotes renewable energy adoption, reduced emissions, and increased national energy resilience.
GPL’s Head of Executive Management, Kesh Nandlall, said the Express Lane is intended to provide all eligible customers with a clear, efficient pathway to invest in solar energy.
“GPL recognises that customers are increasingly ready to invest in solar solutions, and our responsibility is to ensure that the approval and integration process is efficient, transparent, and technically sound,” he said. “The LCDS Solar Express Lane allows customers to benefit more quickly from their solar investments while safeguarding the reliability of the national grid.”
Through this initiative, GPL has established a dedicated processing channel supported by focused technical resources to fast track applications from all eligible customers, while ensuring full compliance with safety, engineering, and grid standards. The approach is designed to support timely solar integration without compromising system stability or operational integrity.
The programme enables all eligible customers to actively participate in Guyana’s energy transition by contributing to their own electricity consumption. Where applicable, customers may also export excess energy to the national grid, supporting increased renewable energy penetration across the system.
Under the LCDS Solar Express Lane, eligible customers with approved solar installations may offset their electricity consumption and receive energy credits for excess electricity supplied to the grid, in accordance with GPL’s standard terms and conditions of supply and applicable interconnection agreements. This structured framework ensures fairness, predictability, and sustainability, while balancing individual investment benefits with the technical requirements of the national grid.
“Our goal is to ensure that solar integration is fair, predictable, and sustainable for all customers,” Nandlall added. “This balanced approach supports individual investment while maintaining system stability for the country as a whole.”
The LCDS Solar Express Lane complements GPL’s broader 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, which aligns with national energy policy and supports renewable energy expansion, grid modernisation, and long term sustainability.
In December last year, the Guyana Times had reported that 290 properties with solar generation systems are supplying the GPL with excess power, under a Grid-tied and Net-Billing Programme.
The initiative is spearheaded by the GPL and implemented nationwide in collaboration with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA).
Head of the GEA Dr Mahendar Sharma had told this publication that 160 are Government buildings, 36 industrial and 94 commercial and residential. Grid-tied systems integrate a building’s solar PV system directly into GPL’s network. These systems operate by capturing solar energy through photovoltaic (PV) arrays, which are then converted by an inverter to power the building’s electrical load. Any excess energy is sent to the utility grid.
The Net-Billing Programme allows customers with grid-tied solar PV systems to earn credits for any excess electricity that is fed from their PV system back into the utility grid. It provides an additional financial incentive for renewable energy adoption, while helping consumers manage electricity costs and contribute to living sustainably. A customer with a grid-tied installation is referred to as a ‘Prosumer’. The grid-tied and net-billing arrangement is formalised between GPL and the Prosumer through the signing of a Standard Offer Contract (SOC), which outlines the relevant terms and conditions. Under this arrangement, GPL will compensate the Prosumer for any excess energy exported to the utility grid.
During the electricity billing period, if the value of the excess energy sent to GPL by the Prosumer exceeds the value of the electricity used by the Prosumer (delivered energy charge), then the difference is credited to the Prosumer’s Energy Credits Bank and can be applied to offset future electricity bills.
On the other hand, if the value of the electricity used by the Prosumer exceeds the value of the excess energy sent to GPL’s grid by the Prosumer, then the credits can be withdrawn from the Energy Credits Bank to reduce or settle net energy charge.
At the end of each 12-month period, any unused credit remaining in the Energy Credits Bank will be paid to the Prosumer at 90 per cent of the current tariff rate, after deducting any outstanding amounts owed to GPL.