As the island readies to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, an unexpected advisory from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has put the spotlight on a different kind of balancing act—one between tradition and technology. In a notice issued ahead of the festive season, the CEB has made an urgent appeal to all rooftop solar power users to temporarily deactivate their systems, warning of a potential risk of widespread power outages.
The advisory, covering the period from April 13 to April 21, 2025, calls for all rooftop solar panel owners to switch off their systems by 3:00 p.m. each day. The request may seem counterintuitive in an era of renewable energy promotion, but the reasoning is rooted in grid science and the seasonal drop in energy demand.
According to the CEB, electricity consumption significantly dips during the New Year holidays as industries and offices shut down, and household demand also fluctuates. In such a low-demand environment, the influx of variable energy—particularly from solar rooftops—creates an imbalance in the grid. System inertia, which ensures the stability of electricity supply during sudden shifts in demand or generation, has reportedly plummeted to precarious levels. In plain terms, the national power grid has become highly sensitive, and even minor disruptions could trigger partial or island-wide blackouts.
The board’s notice does not issue a mandatory shutdown but instead opts for respectful urgency. It’s a call to public responsibility, framed in cooperation rather than enforcement. “To protect system stability,” the CEB says, “we request your support.” It’s a rare moment where homeowners generating their own clean energy are asked to pause for the sake of the larger system’s integrity.
This isn’t the first time Sri Lanka has faced grid management issues, but the dynamic between renewable energy contributions and traditional grid infrastructure has never been so clearly underscored. As more households adopt solar technology, especially in a country blessed with sunshine year-round, the national grid faces new challenges in absorbing and distributing power smoothly.
For now, the CEB’s appeal highlights the complex dance between energy independence and national coordination. Rooftop solar owners, once hailed as pioneers of a cleaner future, are being asked to hold back—for a few days—for the greater good.
Whether this becomes a recurring issue or leads to better integration solutions remains to be seen. But for this New Year season, those bright solar panels may need to rest briefly, so the nation’s lights can stay on.
