Almost every week an installer knocks on a plant's door with the same promise: "put up panels and lower your electricity bill." The promise is sometimes true and sometimes not. It depends on when your plant consumes, what tariff you pay, and how long you'll stay on the site. The expensive mistake isn't installing solar; it's installing it at a plant where it doesn't fit.
This article doesn't sell panels. It is a decision guide for the industrial manager who has already received a quote and wants to know whether it makes sense before signing. We explain the three compensation schemes, the regulatory threshold that defines how far you can grow, and the decision tree we use to say "it pays" or "it doesn't pay" based on your profile.
When does industrial solar pay and when does it not?
Industrial solar pays when your consumption is daytime and high, you pay a GDMTH or GDBT tariff, you have available roof or ground space with good orientation, and you'll stay on the site for several years. It doesn't pay if your load is nighttime, you rent the facility short-term, or you don't have well-oriented space.
That's the short answer. The rest of the article develops it with numbers and nuance, because each of those factors has degrees.
The factor that rules: your load curve
Solar photovoltaics produces during the day. If your plant consumes during the day, there is overlap and the solar kilowatts displace grid kilowatts in real time. If your plant consumes at night —night shifts, 24/7 refrigeration, continuous processes—, the solar energy you generate during the day is not used at that moment, and its value depends on the compensation scheme, almost always worse than direct self-consumption.
That's why the first piece of data we ask for is not the size of the roof. It's the hourly load curve of the last 12 months. Without it, any savings promise is a guess.
The second factor: your tariff
The more expensive your tariff per kWh, the more each solar kWh you displace is worth. Medium-voltage tariffs like GDMTH, with their demand charge and their difference between peak, mid-peak, and off-peak, reward generation that falls in expensive hours. A plant on GDBT or GDMTH with high daytime consumption is the classic case where solar pays back fast.
What are the three compensation schemes for distributed generation?
In Mexico, distributed generation operates under three schemes: net metering, net billing, and total sale. They define how the energy you inject into the grid is valued. The scheme you choose completely changes the profitability of a project with surplus.
The choice matters because the price at which the grid pays you for your surplus energy almost never equals the price at which it sells it to you. This table summarizes the differences.
| Scheme | How injected energy is valued | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Net metering | kWh is offset against kWh consumed in the period; the net surplus is settled at the Local Marginal Price | High daytime consumption that self-consumes almost everything; ~99% of installations |
| Net billing | Injection and consumption are measured separately; what is injected is paid at the LMP, what is consumed at tariff | Those who inject considerable surplus and operate with a market mindset |
| Total sale | All generation is sold to the grid at the LMP, with no self-consumption | Almost no one in DG; payback lengthens due to the low wholesale price |
The key point: the Local Marginal Price at which your surplus is paid is lower than the tariff at which you buy. That's why net metering, which offsets kWh against kWh, tends to be the most favorable, and why sizing the system to self-consume almost everything is better than oversizing it to sell. Total sale rarely makes sense in industrial self-consumption.
What is the 0.7 MW threshold and why does it matter?
The 0.7 MW threshold is the maximum capacity a system can have to operate as distributed generation without a generation permit. The 2025 energy reform raised it from 0.5 MW to 0.7 MW. Above that limit, the project ceases to be DG and enters a more complex permitting regime.
Historically, the 2014 Electricity Industry Law set the exempt-generator limit at 0.5 MW. The new Electricity Sector Law, published in 2025, raised it to 0.7 MW, the value in force as of 2026. The change is relevant: a mid-sized plant that was previously at the cap now has a bit more room to self-consume under the simplified regime.
The regulator also changed. The National Energy Commission (CNE) replaced the former Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and assumed its functions in this area. Systems of up to 0.7 MW are considered exempt generators and do not require a generation permit from the CNE, although they do require the corresponding interconnection contract.
For a plant with large contracted demand, 0.7 MW of solar covers a fraction of consumption, not the total. Solar tends to be one piece of the energy optimization plan, not the sole solution. It coexists with buying energy on the market and with efficiency measures.
How much does an industrial solar system cost in Mexico?
A turnkey industrial solar system in Mexico costs, approximately, between USD 0.80 and USD 0.88 per watt-peak installed at commercial and industrial scale. The levelized cost of large-scale solar energy is around USD 39 per MWh according to 2025 market references. The final price depends on the size, the structure, and the type of installation.
| Item | Approximate range (2025) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Turnkey installed cost | ~USD 0.80–0.88 / Wp | Commercial and industrial scale |
| 500 kWp system (reference) | ~USD 400,000–440,000 | ~$7.2–7.9 M MXN at ~$18/USD |
| Large-scale solar LCOE | ~USD 39 / MWh | Market reference, not DG |
| Typical daytime GDMTH payback | ~3–5 years | Depends on tariff and self-consumption |
These figures are indicative and move with the exchange rate, module prices, and project scope. Always ask for them in writing and itemized. The number that decides the investment is not the cost per watt; it's the payback against your real tariff, and that can only be calculated with your consumption in hand.
The decision tree: pays / doesn't pay
Before requesting quotes, run your plant through these five questions. If most point to "yes," solar probably pays. If several point to "no," it's worth reviewing other levers first.
| Factor | It pays if... | It doesn't pay if... |
|---|---|---|
| Load curve | High daytime consumption, overlapping with solar generation | Nighttime consumption or 24/7 shifts without daytime self-consumption |
| Tariff | GDMTH or GDBT with a high cost per kWh | Low tariff where the per-kWh saving is marginal |
| Space and orientation | Ample roof or ground, good orientation and irradiation | Shading, poor orientation, or insufficient surface |
| Horizon on the site | Stay of several years; owned property | Facility rented short-term with no certainty of renewal |
| Size vs 0.7 MW | The system fits within the exempt DG regime | You need well over 0.7 MW and don't want permits |
There is a sixth, silent factor: if your load is nighttime but you want to take advantage of daytime solar, battery storage can shift that energy to consumption hours, although it completely changes the cost equation. And if your question is whether to generate yourself or buy on the market, compare it in distributed generation vs combined-cycle plant.
Is it better to install panels or buy Clean Energy Certificates?
It depends on the objective. If you're looking to lower the cost of the kWh and have daytime consumption, solar in self-consumption tends to win. If your goal is to certify clean energy for ESG reports or customer requirements without investing in assets, Clean Energy Certificates can be more capital-efficient. They are not mutually exclusive.
Many plants combine both: solar for daytime self-consumption and CELs or a renewable contract for the rest. The right decision comes from modeling both routes with your numbers, not from a sales argument. We develop it in ROI of a renewable portfolio vs CELs.
How Enerlogix evaluates your case
At Enerlogix we don't sell or install panels. We evaluate whether solar makes sense for your plant with independent judgment. We characterize your load curve, model real self-consumption against your tariff, choose the right compensation scheme, and size the system to maximize payback, not installed capacity. If solar doesn't pay, we tell you and go after the levers that do move your bill.
That analysis is part of the Plan 360 Management: measure first, decide with numbers, and execute only what pays for itself. Before signing a quote, a second pair of eyes with no interest in selling you hardware is worth it.
Request a free evaluation or learn about the energy optimization service. We work with your real bill and load curve.
Frequently asked questions
It pays when your consumption is daytime and high, you pay an expensive tariff per kWh such as GDMTH or GDBT, you have roof or ground with good orientation, and you'll stay on the site for several years. The overlap between daytime solar generation and your daytime consumption is the factor that weighs most. Without a daytime load curve, the real saving tends to be much lower than promised.
It doesn't pay if your load is mainly nighttime or 24/7 shifts without daytime self-consumption, if you rent the facility short-term with no certainty of renewal, or if you don't have a surface with good orientation and irradiation. In those cases the solar energy is injected into the grid and paid at a price lower than your tariff, which greatly lengthens the return on investment.
In net metering, kWh is offset against kWh during the period and only the net surplus is settled, so your surplus energy is worth almost as much as what you consume. In net billing they are measured separately: what you inject is paid at the Local Marginal Price and what you consume is charged at tariff. Since the wholesale price is lower than the tariff, net metering tends to be more favorable.
It is the maximum capacity a system can have to operate as distributed generation without a generation permit, as an exempt generator. The 2025 reform raised it from 0.5 MW, the historical limit of the 2014 Electricity Industry Law, to 0.7 MW in force as of 2026. The current regulator is the National Energy Commission, which replaced the former CRE and assumed its functions.
Approximately, a turnkey industrial system costs between 0.80 and 0.88 dollars per watt-peak installed at commercial scale in 2025. A 500 kWp system is around 400,000 to 440,000 dollars as a reference. The number that decides the investment is not the cost per watt but the payback against your real tariff, which typically falls between 3 and 5 years at a GDMTH plant with high daytime consumption.
