Environmentalist renews criticism of Dominican Republic’s ‘sun tax’

Santo Domingo.- Environmentalist Enrique De León has renewed criticism of the Dominican Republic’s distributed generation regulation, arguing that it continues to impose a 25% charge on electricity generated by residential solar panels and injected into the national power grid, a measure opponents refer to as the “sun tax.”

Speaking on the program Alternativa, De León said members of the RD 100% Renewable Coalition are disappointed that the Superintendency of Electricity has not modified the regulation despite previous commitments to review the policy. He noted that uncertainty surrounding international geopolitical tensions, including the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, was cited as a factor delaying potential changes.

According to De León, Superintendent of Electricity Andrés Astacio met with coalition representatives in March and indicated that the surcharge on solar energy injected into the grid, as well as other provisions viewed as barriers to renewable energy expansion, would be eliminated. However, he stated that the regulation entered into force at the end of March without the promised revisions.

The environmental advocate warned that maintaining the charge could discourage investment in rooftop solar systems and slow the adoption of renewable energy across the country. He argued that removing regulatory obstacles is essential for expanding clean energy generation, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and advancing the Dominican Republic’s energy transition goals.