Solar Not Exporting to the Grid? Check the Causes in Cost Order
Decision details
Fits if: Owners of existing systems who see generation in the app but zero, low or suddenly stopped export, and are unsure whether something is broken.
Main drawback: No universal inverter setting is held in the registry — export limits and self-consumption modes differ by brand and model; this page routes the check to contract documents and the installer rather than prescribing numbers.
Compare: meter/app export readings across 3 months; timing (during outages? since day one? after a specific date?); ATAP/NEM contract status and start date; inverter alarm codes; whether the app shows generation while the utility meter records none.
In this guide
The check sequence: cheapest first
The most expensive mistake is replacing an inverter or panels for a problem visible for free in documents and apps. Follow this order:
- Check the TNB supply first. During a supply interruption, the Solar ATAP contract requires the renewable energy system to disconnect automatically from TNB’s system (anti-islanding function) [source]. Zero export during an outage is compliance, not breakage — line up the times export disappeared with your area’s outage reports.
- Check contract status and start date. An installed system is not necessarily an active one, and a system whose contract period has ended can no longer offset. ATAP came into force 1 January 2026 replacing NEM which concluded at the end of June 2025, with a maximum operating period of 10 years from the start date, after which the installation is strictly for self-consumption [source]. Older NEM Rakyat contracts likewise run 10 years from commissioning, then register as self-consumption under SelCo [source]. If your dates have passed, stopped export is the rules working, not equipment failing.
- Check the inverter settings. Some inverters carry an export limit or a self-consumption mode that caps the power pushed to the grid. These differ by brand and model — ask the installer to check and to state in writing what your system is set to and why. Do not change protection settings yourself.
- Check meter and comms. If the app shows generation but the utility meter records no export, the datalogger-inverter-meter communication path needs the installer’s inspection. Keep dated screenshots of both readings — a documented discrepancy is strong complaint evidence.
- Only then look for failure. Inverter alarm codes, a failed string or problem panels depress generation before they depress export — that is the low-generation hierarchy. If generation is normal but export is zero after steps 1–4 are clean, the next installer assessment is justified.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Check | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export zero only during supply interruptions | Anti-islanding — the system is required to disconnect from TNB [source] | Match export-loss times against outage reports | Free |
| Export zero since day one / after a specific contract date | System not yet active; or contract period ended — ATAP maximum 10 years from start date then self-consumption only [source]; old NEM Rakyat 10 years from commissioning [source] | Check application status and contract start date | Free |
| Generation normal, export always small | Export limit or self-consumption mode on the inverter (brand/model dependent) | Ask the installer to state the setting and reason in writing | Free (a question) |
| App shows generation, utility meter records no export | Meter/datalogger connectivity | Dated screenshots of both readings; installer inspection | Cheap |
| Export recorded but bill shows no value | Not a flow issue — excess only offsets same-period import, no carry-forward, cannot offset AFA [source] | Export credit page | Free |
| Generation itself low plus low export | Fault/shade/soiling — the generation hierarchy | Low generation page | Per that page's sequence |
Three records that settle an export complaint
Before contacting the installer or utility, prepare: (1) dated screenshots of daily/monthly export readings for three consecutive months from the app AND the utility meter where accessible; (2) a copy of the contract pages showing the start date, declared capacity (kWac and kWp) [source] and term; (3) a timeline of when export stopped and what happened just before (electrical work? meter change? storm?). An installer cannot deny readings recorded by their own system.
When it becomes a contract dispute
If the sequence shows the system should be able to export (active contract, no outage, no set limit) but the utility or installer fails to enable it, keep all written correspondence and go back to your ATAP/NEM contract terms. For stuck applications, the terrace-house approval page lists the status-check stages. For access to installer-held monitoring data, see the owner monitoring account page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my solar system not exporting to the grid?
Check in cost order: (1) is the TNB supply interrupted — during an interruption an ATAP system is required to disconnect from TNB automatically, so no export then is normal [source]; (2) is the system fully activated (meter/activation request completed); (3) has the contract period passed — after that, self-consumption only [source]; (4) inverter settings (export limit or self-consumption mode) — have the installer check; (5) meter/datalogger connectivity; (6) only then consider equipment failure.
Panels generate normally but export is zero — so it is not the panels?
Correct, and that pattern matters: if daytime generation in the app is normal but export is zero, the problem sits between the inverter and the meter — settings, contract status, or meter recording — not on the panels. If generation itself is low, that is the low-generation page's hierarchy.
Export appears in readings but the bill shows no money — same problem?
No. That is a credit-value problem, not a flow problem: excess export below MAQ offsets import within the same billing period only, the balance is not carried forward, and it cannot offset AFA [source]. See the export-credit page for how to read it.
I have an old NEM contract — can export suddenly stop being allowed?
Yes, by date. The NEM Rakyat contract template runs 10 years from the commissioning date, after which the consumer is registered for self-consumption under SelCo guidelines [source]. For ATAP, the maximum operating period is 10 years from the start date, after which it is self-consumption only with no offset [source]. Check your contract's start date.
How much should my system be able to export?
No fixed number, but there is an official calculation basis: MAQ (the maximum export quantity that can be offset) = kWac capacity x 5 sun hours x billing period, and the capacity declared in the contract is inverter kWac, not panel kWp [source]. Export beyond MAQ or beyond that month's import adds no bill value [source].