Renewable Energy · Intermediate level · 3 min read ·
What is the PDE (Surplus Distribution Percentage)?
The PDE, or Porcentaje de Distribución de Excedentes, is the share of a collective self-generator's surplus that belongs to each member. Members agree on it among themselves, and all PDEs add up to 100%. It sets how much of the energy delivered to the grid is assigned to each one.
In 30 seconds
- A PDE only exists when several users share a self-generation system.
- Members agree on it, and all of them add up to 100%.
- If any member has a PDE of 10% or more, CREG applies additional charges to the whole system's surplus.
Full guide
Solar surplus energy: how it is settled in Colombia
What happens to the solar energy you produce and don't use. CREG's three regimes, what the PDE and the AGPE limit are, and which one applies to you.
Read the guideWhy should you care?
In an energy community or shared system, the PDE is what turns "the surplus" into "your share of the surplus".
- You know which part of the system's surplus is yours.
- You understand why any member's percentage can change the rules for everyone.
- You read a community's agreement with judgment before joining.
Think of it as a community garden
In a community garden, neighbors agree in advance how the leftover harvest is shared: some contributed more land, others more work. The PDE is that agreement written as percentages, applied to the energy the system delivers to the grid.
How does the PDE work?
- 1
Several users share a system
A collective self-generator or energy community brings several users around one installation.
- 2
They agree on percentages
Each member gets a PDE. They must all add up to 100%.
- 3
The system delivers surplus
Energy that isn't used flows to the grid and is measured over the period.
- 4
It is shared by PDE
Each member is assigned their percentage of that surplus.
The formula
Your surplus = System surplus × Your PDE
- System surplus
- = energy delivered to the grid in the period, in kWh
- Your PDE
- = your agreed percentage, as a decimal
An example with numbers
A system shared by five users delivers 1,000 kWh of surplus in a month.
| User A · PDE 30% | 300 kWh |
|---|---|
| User B · PDE 25% | 250 kWh |
| User C · PDE 20% | 200 kWh |
| Users D and E · PDE 15% and 10% | 150 and 100 kWh |
| Total shared | 1,000 kWh |
Every kWh of surplus has an owner, and the PDE says who. Since at least one member has a PDE of 10% or more, the whole system falls in the case with additional charges.
Where do you see it at Circular Urban?
When several users share a solar system, the PDE sets each one's share of the surplus. Circular Urban's surplus energy guide lets you try how the rules change with the community's capacity and percentages.
- The surplus energy guide, in the "Which case is yours?" tool.
What changes in your finances once you get it
You know what's yours
You go from "the community delivers surplus" to knowing how many kWh are yours.
You anticipate the regime
You recognize when any member's PDE takes the whole system to rules with additional charges.
You negotiate informed
You understand what you are accepting when you sign a community's agreement.
Common mistakes
- Myth
The PDE is a percentage of all the energy the system produces.
- In reality
It applies only to the surplus: the energy the system delivers to the grid, not everything it produces.
- Myth
The PDE is split equally.
- In reality
Members agree on it. It can reflect contribution, consumption or any criterion they settle on, always adding up to 100%.
- Myth
The percentage changes nothing beyond the split.
- In reality
Under CREG Resolution 101 072 of 2025, if any member has a PDE of 10% or more, the retailer applies additional charges to the surplus of the whole collective self-generator.
Test yourself
A shared system delivers 2,000 kWh of surplus in the month. Your PDE is 15%. How many kWh are yours?
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This content is educational. Every participation carries risks inherent to the project, including the possibility of partial or total loss, and results are subject to each project's actual performance.