Commercial solar in Portugal: rules, registration, surplus and ways to pay

A business in Portugal can build a solar plant for its own use, called a UPAC, under Decree-Law 15/2022. Up to 30 kW it needs a prior communication to DGEG, from 30 kW to 1 MW a prior registration and an operating certificate after inspection, and above 1 MW a production licence and an operating licence. Surplus can be sold, and you can buy the plant, lease it or, from 50 kWp, pay only for its power through a PPA.

How does self-consumption work in Portugal?

Decree-Law 15/2022 (Decreto-Lei n.º 15/2022) organises Portugal’s electricity system, including self-consumption (autoconsumo). The plant is a UPAC (unidade de produção para autoconsumo), a renewable unit at or near your site. It can be owned by a third party, which is what makes leases and PPAs possible, and the law expects it to be sized to your consumption, keeping surplus to a minimum.

There are three set-ups: individual self-consumption, one UPAC serving one supply point; collective self-consumption (ACC), several consumers sharing one or more UPACs; and renewable energy communities (CER). The law was last amended by Law 29/2026, in force since 1 July 2026, and Decree-Law 130/2026, in force since 28 August 2026 for procedures started after that date.

Which registration or licence does a UPAC need?

Prior control (controlo prévio) depends on installed capacity and is handled on DGEG’s online platform. Business UPACs must be installed by a licensed electrical installation company or a qualified technician.

• Up to 800 W, with no export to the grid: no prior control. The limit was 700 W until 27 August 2026.
• Above that and up to 30 kW: prior communication (comunicação prévia).
• Above 30 kW and up to 1 MW: prior registration (registo prévio) and an operating certificate (certificado de exploração), issued after an inspection by an accredited body.
• Above 1 MW, or when an environmental impact assessment applies: a production licence and an operating licence (licença de produção, licença de exploração).

Law 29/2026 and Decree-Law 130/2026 overlap in places, and some 2026 rules still await DGEG regulations, so confirm the procedure that applies before you set the timetable.

What about planning permission and environmental rules?

Since 28 August 2026, solar modules on existing buildings, in industrial estates, logistics platforms, shopping centres and car parks, and any project of 1 MW or less, are free of municipal planning prior control, except on classified buildings and in their protection zones. Solar plants and storage on buildings or other artificial structures are also exempt from environmental impact assessment. Ground-mounted plants on rural land can meet land-use limits, such as protected farmland (RAN), so check the land before you design.

Can you sell surplus power in Portugal?

Yes. Surplus can be sold to a registered aggregator, under a bilateral contract or on the market, directly or through a third party. The price is agreed with the buyer, usually per kWh or indexed to the wholesale price, minus fees, and a last-resort aggregator is the fallback buyer. In 2024 about 27% of self-consumption output in Portugal was exported, according to ERSE.

An exported kWh earns at most about the wholesale price, which averaged €66.18/MWh in Portugal in 2025, according to APREN. A kWh you avoid buying is worth far more: Eurostat puts the average Portuguese business price in the first half of 2026, before VAT, at about €0.17/kWh for sites using 20 to 500 MWh a year and €0.13/kWh for 500 to 2,000 MWh, though part of that is fixed charges solar does not reduce. So size the plant to what you use.

PVGIS 5.3 with 14% system losses; shading, orientation and mounting change each site’s figure.

How do collective self-consumption and energy communities work?

In collective self-consumption, nearby consumers, such as companies on an industrial estate, share one or more UPACs. A management entity (EGAC) runs the scheme, deals with DGEG and the grid operator and sets how output is shared, with fixed or variable coefficients. A renewable energy community (CER) does the same as a legal entity with open, voluntary membership, which SMEs and local authorities can join.

Members must be close: at low voltage, on the same substation as the main UPAC or within 2 km; at medium voltage within 4 km, at high voltage 10 km and at very high voltage 20 km. If members include companies larger than SMEs, the shared plant is capped at 6 MW. Energy carried through the public grid pays network access tariffs, minus upstream network costs; an internal network that does not use the public grid pays none.

Under Order (Despacho) 4411-A/2026, projects that use the public grid and obtain their operating title by the end of 2029 are exempt from 100% of the energy policy, sustainability and general economic interest costs (CIEG) in those tariffs for seven years. The government counts 1,218 energy communities connected to the grid in April 2026, up from 418 a year earlier.

What support is available for businesses?

The Portugal 2030 call for energy efficiency and decarbonisation in companies (MPR-2026-01) closed its general strand on 27 February 2026; its strand for large projects under the contractual investment regime (RCI), from €25 million of eligible spending, stays open until 30 December 2026. Self-consumption solar is eligible only alongside efficiency or decarbonisation investments, up to 30% of eligible costs, and costs incurred before applying do not count.

The recovery-plan call for collective self-consumption and energy communities has been awarded, with €19.1 million for 112 projects announced in June 2025. VAT on solar equipment returned to 23% on the mainland on 1 July 2025, when the 6% rate expired; for VAT-registered businesses that recover input VAT, this mainly affects cash flow.

Three ways to pay for the plant

Buying or leasing works at any size. A PPA starts at 50 kWp, and our solar PPA guide explains how its price works; the same logic applies in Portugal.

• Buy. Your company pays, from its own funds or a loan, keeps the whole saving and looks after maintenance and insurance.
• Lease. You pay a set instalment over an agreed term; the leasing company owns the plant and maintenance is often included.
• PPA. A financing partner pays for, owns and maintains the plant, and you pay only for the kWh it supplies, at a price set in the contract that starts below what you pay the grid at signing and rises each year by a formula in the contract.

Since 28 August 2026, a UPAC owned or run by a third party must follow the self-consumer’s instructions under their agreement, and the self-consumer stays responsible for grid-related procedures.

How Aeternus helps in Portugal

Aeternus Power is an independent energy company based in Madrid, working in Spain and Portugal. We work out what your site can produce and the best way to pay for it, bring in a vetted builder (we check licences, warranties and the plants it has actually delivered) and the financing, and oversee the work until the plant is switched on. We never own plants. We are paid a commission by the builder or financing partner we bring in, only if the project goes ahead, and you pay us no fee.

For a first figure, try the free preview on our business page, or contact us with your bills: we reply within two working days. For Spain’s rules, see our guide to commercial solar in Spain.

Questions

Do I need a licence to install solar on a commercial building in Portugal?

It depends on size. Up to 30 kW a prior communication to DGEG is enough; from 30 kW to 1 MW you need a prior registration and an operating certificate after inspection; above 1 MW, a production licence and an operating licence. Since August 2026, plants of 1 MW or less and solar on existing buildings are free of municipal planning control.

Can several companies share a plant?

Yes, through collective self-consumption or a renewable energy community, if they meet the proximity rules, such as within 2 km at low voltage. Projects that use the public grid and obtain their operating title by the end of 2029 are exempt from the CIEG part of network tariffs for seven years.

Can a third party own the plant at my site?

Yes. A UPAC can be owned or run by a third party, such as a financing partner under a PPA. The third party must follow your instructions under your agreement, and you remain responsible for grid-related procedures as the self-consumer.

Can I let my roof for a solar plant?

Yes. Since 1 July 2026, Law 29/2026 lets owners of roofs, terraces and unbuilt urban land grant the energy use of that space to a promoter for UPACs of up to 1 MW, in writing, for up to 15 years, renewable once.

Sources

• Decreto-Lei n.º 15/2022, de 14 de janeiro, organisation and functioning of the National Electricity System (Diário da República): https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/15-2022-177634016
• Lei n.º 29/2026, de 23 de junho, amending the self-consumption and aggregation rules (Diário da República): https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/lei/29-2026-1135578391
• CMS Portugal: changes to the UPAC and aggregation rules in Lei n.º 29/2026: https://cms.law/pt/prt/news-information/alteracoes-ao-regime-das-upac-e-da-agregacao-de-eletricidade-lei-n.o-29-2026-de-23-de-junho
• Pérez-Llorca (28 August 2026): Decreto-Lei n.º 130/2026, what changes in the National Electricity System: https://www.perezllorca.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Nota-Juridica-Decreto-Lei-n.o-1302026-o-que-muda-no-Sistema-Eletrico-Nacional-a-28-de-agosto.pdf
• CMS Portugal: new amendments to Decreto-Lei n.º 15/2022 and to the National Ecological Reserve regime: https://cms.law/pt/prt/news-information/novas-alteracoes-ao-decreto-lei-n.o-15-2022-de-14-de-janeiro-e-ao-regime-juridico-da-reserva-ecologica-nacional-ren
• Despacho n.º 4411-A/2026: full exemption from CIEG for self-consumption and renewable energy community projects starting 2026 to 2029 (Diário da República, 2 April 2026): https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2026/04/065000001/0000200003.pdf
• ADENE: digital manual on self-consumption and renewable energy communities, legislative guide (November 2022): https://www.adene.pt/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Manual-Digital-Autoconsumo-e-Comunidade-de-Energia-Renovavel-Guia-Legislativo.pdf
• ERSE (10 September 2025): 2024 electricity self-consumption report: https://www.erse.pt/en/communication/highlights/erse-releases-2024-electricity-self-consumption-report/
• ERSE: self-consumption regulation (Regulamento n.º 815/2023): https://www.erse.pt/atividade/regulamentos-eletricidade/autoconsumo/
• Government of Portugal (24 June 2026): making it simpler and cheaper to produce and share renewable energy: https://portugal.gov.pt/gc25/comunicacao/comunicados/governo-torna-mais-simples-e-barato-produzir-e-partilhar-energia-renovavel
• Portugal 2030: call MPR-2026-01, energy efficiency and decarbonisation in companies (26 January 2026): https://portugal2030.pt/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/Aviso-MPR-2026-01-Apoios-a-Eficiencia-energetica-e-Descarbonizacao-Empresas-26_01_2026_Publicado.pdf
• Government of Portugal (13 June 2025): €19 million for 112 collective self-consumption and energy community projects: https://portugal.gov.pt/gc25/comunicacao/comunicados/mais-de-19-milhoes-de-euros-para-112-projetos-de-autoconsumo-coletivo-e-comunidades-de-energia
• APCMC: end of the reduced VAT rate on solar panels, heat pumps and air conditioning: https://apcmc.pt/legislacao/fim-da-taxa-reduzida-de-iva-nos-paineis-solares-bombas-de-calor-e-ar-condicionado/
• APREN: Eletricidade Renovável em Revista 2026 (May 2026): https://www.apren.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/APREN_BROCHURA_2026_PT.pdf
• European Commission, Joint Research Centre: PVGIS 5.3 photovoltaic output tool: https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/
• Eurostat: electricity prices for non-household consumers, excluding VAT and other recoverable taxes (nrg_pc_205, updated 19 October 2026): https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nrg_pc_205/default/table?lang=en

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