G98 form guide UK: how to notify your DNO for plug-in solar

First, what is G98?

G98 is the engineering recommendation used for connecting small, fully type-tested generators in parallel with the public low-voltage distribution network. Solar PV is one example.

In normal English, your house is still connected to the grid while the inverter is generating electricity. The DNO therefore needs to know that generation is connected at the property and what equipment is being used.

For ordinary single-phase G98 microgeneration, the familiar limit is 16A per phase, which is about 3.68kW at 230V. That figure causes confusion with plug-in solar, because the new plug-in product route has its own much smaller limit of 800VA.

Do I notify before or after connecting?

The established single-premises G98 process is normally fit/connect and notify. For standard G98 installations, DNO guidance commonly requires the installation information within 28 days of commissioning.

For example, National Grid Electricity Distribution currently describes G98 as a fit-and-notify process and tells users to notify within 28 days. Its online route gives an instant acknowledgement after submission.

For a new plug-in solar product I would still follow the specific instructions supplied with that product and the current process shown by your DNO. The new consumer framework is being introduced while the network documentation and DNO systems are also evolving.

Are G98 forms going online?

National Grid Electricity Distribution now provides an online G98 notification form. It says the form takes around 10–15 minutes, gives instant acknowledgement and can identify the MPAN, although the older downloadable Form B remains available if somebody cannot or does not want to apply online.

UK Power Networks uses its Smart Connect installer portal for generation connections. UKPN says Smart Connect can handle the existing ENA forms electronically: the user selects the devices, adds the installation details and supporting evidence, and the portal works out which declaration/process is required.

SP Energy Networks has also been involved in the iDentify approach, designed to replace paper forms for technologies including microgeneration and route information digitally to the correct DNO. At the same time, SPEN still publishes the formal G98 forms on its website, which shows the transition is not complete everywhere.

So I would describe the position as a move towards online notification, not a single new national plug-in-solar form yet. Different DNOs are at different stages.

DNO processes change. I have deliberately not turned this into a list of every old PDF/email address because those are exactly the details most likely to become stale. Use the current DNO notification page when you are ready to submit.

Is G98 actually changing for 800VA plug-in solar?

Yes. There is official evidence that G98 changes form part of the plug-in solar rollout.

When the government announced the policy in March 2026 it said it would work with the Energy Networks Association, DNOs and Ofgem to update the G98 distribution code so that sub-800W plug-in solar could connect to domestic mains sockets under the new route.

The June consultation then explicitly listed amendment of Engineering Recommendation G98 as one of the measures needed to allow a plug-in microgenerator complying with the Interim Product Specification to connect to low-voltage distribution networks.

The final Interim Product Specification is even more useful because it tells us where one of the remaining mismatches sits. The product specification permits one plug-in solar product per household final circuit, but notes that the current network requirement in G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 (2026) restricts this to one device per household unless and until G98 is amended.

There is also evidence that simplification is part of the intended rollout. The government's electrical safety study recommends a simplified registration approach to support safe and proportionate deployment.

What I have not seen published yet is one final, universal, householder-only “800VA plug-in solar G98 form” used by every DNO. So I would not tell readers that such a national form exists until it actually does.

What information will I normally need?

Whether your DNO gives you a PDF, an online form or a guided portal, the underlying information is broadly the same. I would get this together before starting:

MPAN: the number people often get wrong

Your MPAN identifies the electricity supply point. It is normally on the electricity bill or in your online account. It is not the meter serial number printed on the front of the meter, and it is not your supplier account number.

Registered capacity: do not enter the panel wattage by mistake

This is probably the easiest technical field to get wrong. A plug-in kit can have more than 800W of solar modules on the DC side while its inverter output is limited to 800VA on the AC side.

If the form asks for registered capacity or generating capacity, use the AC figure specified in the product/network documentation. Do not simply add the wattages printed on the solar panels unless the form separately asks for DC/PV capacity.

ENA or device reference

Use the reference for the exact generating equipment. Do not pick an inverter with a similar name or copy the number from my example form. Online portals can make this easier because some let you search/select the approved device rather than manually typing all of its technical data.

Step-by-step: how I would notify a plug-in solar kit

Can I submit G98 myself?

For the new plug-in solar route, the process has to be usable by the householder. Government policy is specifically enabling compliant products to be installed without automatically requiring an electrician, and the final product specification requires the manufacturer to provide the user with DNO notification instructions.

That does not mean every legacy DNO form has already been rewritten in consumer language. During the transition, you may still see terms such as installer, commissioning engineer or installation document. Use the product instructions and DNO guidance rather than inventing information.

What if I already have solar or a battery?

This is where I would slow down rather than treating the new 800VA device in isolation.

If you already have rooftop PV, a battery inverter or another generator, the DNO needs an accurate picture of the aggregate generation at the premises. Existing equipment can affect which connection route applies and what information is required.

The new Interim Product Specification also does not cover plug-in batteries or plug-in solar products incorporating electrical energy storage. If a product includes storage, do not assume this solar-only notification guide is the whole story. See my plug-in battery storage guide.

Can I have more than one 800VA plug-in solar device?

This is an important current limitation. The final product specification permits one product per suitable final circuit, but the same specification notes that current G98 network requirements restrict this to one device per household until G98 is amended.

So at the moment I would not tell somebody that two separate ring finals automatically mean two 800VA products can be connected. The electrical product rule and the network rule both have to be satisfied.

Common G98 mistakes I would avoid

• Using an old form without checking the DNO website first. An online notification route may now be available.
• Entering total panel wattage instead of registered AC capacity.
• Using the meter serial number instead of the MPAN.
• Sending the notification to your electricity supplier instead of the DNO.
• Copying an ENA/device reference from somebody else's inverter or from my example image.
• Assuming G98 approval of an inverter proves the whole plug-in solar product complies with the new IPS.
• Inventing installer details when a product has genuinely been self-installed under the lawful consumer route.
• Ignoring existing solar, battery storage or other generation at the property.
• Assuming one 800VA product per circuit already overrides the current one-device-per-household G98 restriction.
• Throwing away the acknowledgement. Keep the DNO reference with the system paperwork.
• Forgetting to notify permanent disconnection.

Why the online move makes sense for plug-in solar

Traditional G98 paperwork was designed around installers who deal with generation connections regularly. Plug-in solar is different: the policy is intended to put small compliant products into the hands of ordinary householders.

If thousands of consumers start connecting sub-800VA systems, a guided online process is far more realistic than expecting every buyer to understand an engineering form, locate an MPAN, interpret type-test references and email documents to the right network team.

The government's safety work recommending a simplified registration approach fits that direction. It does not prove every DNO will use the same portal, but it does support the view that the notification process needs to become simpler as plug-in solar rolls out.

Common questions

Official sources I used for this update

Related PluginSolarHub guides

This guide explains the process in plain English and is updated as the UK plug-in solar framework develops. DNO portals and engineering requirements can change, so always check your network operator's current submission route before notifying.