How to Register Plug-in Solar with Your DNO

The good news is that registering plug-in solar has become much easier. The Energy Networks Association (ENA) has launched myplugin.solar, a dedicated online service for registering compliant plug-in solar installations.

The four-step registration process is very straightforward and should only take a few minutes. This guide takes you through each step and explains why DNO notification is required.

Key points

• DNO notification is mandatory and must be completed within 28 days of installation. Every compliant plug-in solar installation in Great Britain must be registered with the local electricity network.
• It is a notification, not a request for permission to install. You do not need DNO approval before installing a compliant plug-in solar kit, and registration must be completed no later than 28 days after installation.
• Use myplugin.solar to register. The Energy Networks Association's dedicated portal provides a simple online registration process for plug-in solar installations.
• Only fully compliant plug-in solar products are eligible for the myplugin.solar registration process. Check that your kit is compliant before installation and registration.
• Northern Ireland has separate network arrangements. The Great Britain process described in this guide does not apply unchanged.

These requirements are based on the government's Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification and the G98 network connection rules.

Why DNO registration is required

A Distribution Network Operator (DNO) is the company responsible for the local electricity network serving your home. It operates infrastructure such as local cables, substations and connections to properties.

Your DNO is different from your electricity supplier. Your supplier sells you electricity and sends your bill; the DNO operates the network that carries electricity to and from your home.

Plug-in solar needs to be registered because it connects to your household electrical system and operates alongside the public electricity network. The electricity it generates is used by appliances in your home first, but if the kit generates more than your home is using at that moment, the excess flows back through your electricity connection and into the local network.

The DNO needs to know about this because it manages the local network. Keeping records of small generators helps network operators understand what is connected in each area, forecast local electricity flows and manage the grid safely.

Registration helps the DNO keep track of:

• where the generator is connected;
• which inverter or product has been installed;
• its maximum output.

For a standard compliant plug-in solar kit, this is a connect-and-notify process. You do not need DNO permission before installation, and the network must be notified no later than 28 days after the kit is installed.

DNO notification does not replace any other permissions that may apply to your installation. Depending on your property, you may still need landlord, freeholder or planning consent.

How to register your plug-in solar kit

You must complete DNO registration within 28 days of installing your plug-in solar kit. To register, you will need access to a working email address, the address where the kit has been installed, and the model name or model number of your compliant plug-in solar kit. Compliant plug-in solar kits must also be supplied with instructions explaining how to complete the DNO registration process, so you should find these included with your product documentation.

Registration is completed through the Energy Networks Association's myplugin.solar portal and should only take a few minutes. The process is split into four simple steps:

Common registration questions

Can I register more than one plug-in solar device?

No. Under the current Great Britain network rules, a household can have one plug-in solar device installed at any one time, with a maximum output of 800W.

You cannot install a second plug-in solar kit simply because it uses a different socket or electrical circuit.

See our confirmed UK plug-in solar rules guide for more information about the one-device limit and other installation requirements.

What if my device is not listed on myplugin.solar?

Only approved plug-in solar devices can be registered through myplugin.solar.

If you cannot find your product by searching for its manufacturer, model or device name, do not select a different product in its place. The device may still be waiting for its assessment to be completed, so check the register again after a few days.

Until the device appears on the approved list, you cannot complete the myplugin.solar registration process for it.

You can also check our list of compliant plug-in solar kits before buying or installing a system.

What happens if I move house?

A plug-in solar registration is associated with the property where the device is installed.

If you move home and take your plug-in solar kit with you, the myplugin.solar Terms of Use state that you must register the device again at the new address after moving it.

Before reinstalling the kit, you should also check that the new property, socket and proposed panel location are suitable and obtain any permissions you need.

The current myplugin.solar service does not provide a user account for managing previous registrations, and ENA has not yet published a clear online process for removing the registration from your old address. Compliant kits must include information about deregistration, so follow the instructions supplied with your kit.

We will update this guide when ENA provides clearer guidance on removing an existing registration.

What happens if I replace my plug-in solar device?

If you replace a registered plug-in solar device with another approved device, ENA says you should register the replacement through myplugin.solar using the normal registration process.

The one-device-per-household rule still applies, so the replacement cannot be used alongside the device it is replacing.

At the time of writing, ENA has not published a separate online step for removing the previous device from the registration record. Follow the deregistration information supplied with your kit until further guidance is available.

What if I permanently remove my plug-in solar kit?

The government's Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification states that DNO notification is required when a plug-in solar device is disconnected as well as when it is connected.

Compliant kits must therefore include information explaining the current deregistration requirements.

However, the new myplugin.solar service does not currently publish a separate consumer process for removing a device that is no longer installed. We do not want to recommend a process that ENA has not confirmed, so for now you should follow the deregistration instructions supplied with your kit.

We will update this section when a clear national deregistration process is published.

What if I miss the 28-day registration deadline?

The requirement to register does not disappear after 28 days.

If you have installed a compliant plug-in solar kit but have not yet notified the network, complete the myplugin.solar registration as soon as possible rather than leaving the installation unregistered.

Do I need to know who my DNO is or find my MPAN?

No. You do not need either of these to register a compliant plug-in solar kit through myplugin.solar.

The portal uses the installation address you provide and automatically sends the notification to the network operator responsible for that property.

You also do not need to find your property's MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) as part of the myplugin.solar registration process.

This is one of the main differences between the new plug-in solar registration service and the traditional G98 notification process.

Has myplugin.solar replaced the G98 process?

No. G98 is still the underlying network connection standard.

myplugin.solar provides a much simpler consumer-facing way to complete the required G98 notification for an approved plug-in solar device.

Before the dedicated service launched, a normal G98 notification could involve identifying the correct DNO and submitting installation information directly to that network operator. DNOs still use this conventional G98 process for other types of small-scale generation.

For compliant plug-in solar devices, you should use the dedicated myplugin.solar process described in this guide.

What if my solar installation is hardwired rather than plugged into a socket?

The myplugin.solar service is specifically for compliant plug-in solar devices connected using the manufacturer-supplied UK plug.

A solar PV system that is permanently wired into the property's electrical installation is a different type of installation. The government's Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification specifically excludes PV systems installed under BS 7671 Section 712 from the plug-in solar framework.

That does not mean a hardwired solar installation is non-compliant. It simply follows the conventional rules for installed solar PV instead.

Small, fully type-tested generation that meets the normal G98 requirements can usually use the traditional G98 connect-and-notify process, with the relevant DNO notified through its normal online service or G98 documentation. Systems that do not qualify for G98 may instead require the DNO's approval under G99 before connection.

If you are installing a hardwired solar system, follow the normal electrical installation and DNO connection process rather than attempting to register it through myplugin.solar.

Isn't my plug-in solar kit already registered by the manufacturer?

The product and your household installation are registered for different reasons.

Before a compliant plug-in solar device can be placed on the market, the manufacturer must have it assessed and identified as compliant on the ENA's approved device register.

That confirms that the product type has met the required standards. It does not tell the network operator where individual customers have installed it.

After installing the kit at your home, you must still complete the myplugin.solar registration so that the DNO knows that the device is connected at your address.

Is DNO registration the same as registering for export payments?

No. Registering your plug-in solar system with the DNO does not enrol you in an export tariff or arrange payment for exported electricity.

DNO registration creates a record of the installation with the local electricity network. Applying for export payments is a separate process handled by your electricity supplier.

Self-installed plug-in solar is not currently eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) because its certification requirements do not accommodate the normal self-install route. However, DESNZ has confirmed that suppliers are free to offer separate export tariffs to compliant plug-in solar installations outside SEG.

Before receiving export payments, you are likely to need a compliant system that has been registered with the DNO, a compatible smart meter and an export MPAN. The exact application process and evidence required will be set by each supplier.

See our plug-in solar export payments guide for current supplier plans, potential earnings and a fuller explanation of the likely requirements.

What about Northern Ireland?

The myplugin.solar process described in this guide applies to Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.

Northern Ireland has separate electricity network arrangements and uses G98/NI rather than Great Britain's version of G98. The final Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification also states that its application in Northern Ireland remains subject to separate consideration.

Customers in Northern Ireland should therefore follow current guidance from NIE Networks rather than using the Great Britain process described here.

Update history

• 29 August 2026: Clarified the distinction between DNO registration and applying for export payments, and linked to the dedicated export payments guide.
• 28 August 2026: Updated the guide for the launch of the ENA's myplugin.solar registration portal, including the new four-step process, common questions and sources.