What MCS certification should you request for commercial solar?

Agree the certification route for your solar installation and its intended export arrangement before signing. Ofgem's guidance asks solar installations up to 50 kW seeking SEG payments to demonstrate suitable installation and installer certification; MCS or an equivalent route can provide this [S1]. Larger projects have different evidence requirements. Certification does not replace planning or grid approval. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

What is an MCS certificate for commercial solar?

MCS stands for Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Government describes it as a scheme concerned with small-scale low-carbon technologies, including solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Its role in certification should be distinguished from the separate consents and operating arrangements your project needs. [S4]

MCS’s public installation database information explains that certified installers receive access to create certificates for the installations they deliver. Ask your contractor to identify the business responsible for registering your installation and supplying that record. A brochure logo is not your completed installation certificate. [S2]

Before accepting a proposal, ask which certification route applies to its size and scope. Request an explanation for solar, battery storage and any later extension separately. Avoid assuming a contractor’s description of a combined project answers every certification question.

Use choosing a commercial solar installer to prepare your shortlist. Ask each bidder for the same evidence, so the comparison includes the work and documents promised.

Do you need MCS certification to receive solar export payments?

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is an export-payment scheme in Great Britain. It has eligibility criteria; it is not a payment triggered simply by putting panels on your roof. Ofgem directs generators to apply to a participating electricity supplier. [S3]

For PV installations up to 50 kW, Ofgem asks for suitable certification of both the installer and installation. It recognises MCS and equivalent arrangements. Above 50 kW, its guidance gives the export supplier discretion over acceptable installation certification evidence. Confirm that evidence before appointing a contractor. [S1]

Kilowatts (kW) describe power. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) describe energy generated, used or exported. Ask the designer to identify the capacity figure being used for the eligibility assessment, alongside the export limit and predicted annual generation. Keep the terms consistent across the quote and export application.

Read business export payments when preparing that application. Ask your accountant to check how any export receipts enter your financial records. No export tariff or income estimate is assumed in this guide.

What should you check before accepting a solar installation quote?

Ask for the contracting company’s legal name, the certification route and the party responsible for each handover document. Where subcontractors are proposed, ask who checks their work and who answers a complaint. Put the answers in the scope of work rather than relying on a verbal assurance.

The checklist below is a suggested procurement schedule. Ask your technical adviser to adapt it to the actual project and your intended export contract.

Request a demonstration handover pack with personal details removed. Check whether the quoted price includes the promised administrative work, and ask how proposed equipment substitutions will be approved. If a bidder cannot explain a document, have your adviser resolve the point before appointment.

How should you obtain or check your MCS installation certificate?

Agree when the installer will supply the certificate and who receives it for your business. MCS says its database holds records of certified installations, and its public page gives a customer support route. Use that route if the promised record cannot be resolved with the installer. [S2]

When the paperwork arrives, compare the site details, installation description and contractor information with your signed scope. Ask the contractor to resolve any mismatch and preserve the correspondence. Keep the final record in your property and equipment files rather than leaving it in an employee’s inbox.

Do not assume another contractor can retrospectively certify work it did not deliver. Ask MCS what route is available for your circumstances and obtain the answer before paying for an inspection offered for that purpose. This guide does not state an unverified certificate-issuance deadline.

Does solar certification replace grid and planning approval?

Keep the connection workstream separate. UK Power Networks describes an application and assessment process for generation projects, including any required network works. Your distribution network operator (DNO), which runs the local network, must confirm the appropriate route for your premises. [S5]

G99 is the engineering recommendation for generation equipment connected in parallel with the distribution network. Ask your designer to identify the applicable connection process and retained correspondence. Read G98 versus G99 before comparing what each proposal includes. [S5]

Planning evidence addresses another question. Government guidance on English lawful development certificates explicitly distinguishes planning lawfulness from other regulatory requirements. Keep your council response and any required consents alongside the certification pack. Ask your solicitor to review unresolved consent or property-rights questions. [S6]

What information should accompany your export application?

Ofgem’s guidance requires export metering and an export meter point administration number (MPAN), as well as the relevant certification evidence. Ask the intended export supplier for its current application list. [S1]

Request written confirmation of the intended applicant, installation capacity and accepted evidence. Agree who follows up missing documents and where the completed export contract is stored. Compare those tasks with the separate solar planning guide.

What should you do next?

Gather your quote, proposed certification route and the export supplier’s evidence list, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

Piggy Pineapple Ltd operates this advice and referral service. We refer enquiries and may be paid a fee. Before sharing your details, we will name the proposed installer and disclose any shareholding the owner holds in it. Read how we work for the process.