Solar ATAP Marks a New Phase for Rooftop Solar, and a Shift in How Value Is Created

Malaysia’s introduction of the Solar Accelerated Transition Action Programme (Solar ATAP) signals a meaningful evolution in the country’s rooftop solar landscape.

As reported by The Edge, Solar ATAP allows non-domestic users to generate up to 100% of their maximum demand, with surplus energy exported to the grid and valued based on market pricing. This represents a departure from earlier quota-based mechanisms and opens broader participation for commercial and industrial energy users.

However, this shift also changes the economics of rooftop solar. When export values are tied more closely to market prices and grid-related charges continue to apply, the key question for businesses is no longer just how much energy is generated but increasingly when energy is used and how demand is managed.

This leads to an important commercial reality: solar generation alone is no longer the primary anchor of energy cost optimisation.

As pricing dynamics evolve, control over timing, demand peaks and tariff exposure becomes critical to protecting long-term returns from rooftop solar investments. This is where Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) play a strategic role in enabling businesses to manage Maximum Demand, optimise tariff exposure and improve cost predictability.

At SimpliSolar, this shift is precisely why we are placing stronger focus on BESS as part of our integrated energy optimisation offerings. Rather than treating storage as a standalone add-on, we design and deploy solar, storage and system engineering together, aligned to real operational and commercial conditions.

While Solar ATAP opens access to rooftop solar, storage determines how much value businesses ultimately extract from it.

👉 Read our full perspective on Solar ATAP and its implications in our LinkedIn post below:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7407707467788451840