I’ve made a change to my installation. Do I need to notify anyone?
You must notify your FIT licensee of any modifications to an accredited installation that increase or decrease its total installed capacity (TIC) from the same type of eligible technology (eg solar PV or wind).
This may happen by:
- adding or removing generating equipment
- replacing generating equipment with a larger or smaller TIC
You also need to notify your FIT licensee when:
- a generation or export meter has been replaced, removed or begins measuring electricity that is not generated by the accredited installation
- battery storage is connected to the accredited installation
- there are any other modifications to the accredited installation
If you are the FIT generator of a ROO-FIT installation, you must also notify Ofgem of the changes by updating the installation’s registration on the Renewables & CHP Register. Ofgem will then review any changes before they are applied.
For more information, see our Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance for renewable installations.
Will my accreditation be affected by repairing or replacing my generating equipment, and can I use pre-used generating equipment?
You may repair or replace some or all of the equipment without affecting the accreditation of your installation, provided that the installation continues to meet the scheme rules. These include that:
- the maximum capacity of 5 Megawatts (or 2 Kilowatts for micro-CHP) is not exceeded
- the accredited installation continues to generate electricity from the same eligible technology
- the accredited installation is not decommissioned or relocated
You may replace generating equipment with equipment that has formed part of an installation previously accredited under the FIT or Renewables Obligation schemes.
If, at any time, all of the plant forming the site up to the point of grid connection is removed, we will consider the accredited installation to be decommissioned and the accreditation to end.
If your installation was accredited under ROO-FIT, you must notify Ofgem of the modifications to the accredited installation and, if the TIC of the accredited installation also changes, your FIT licensee as well. Generators of MCS-FIT installations only need to notify their FIT licensee.
For more information on modifications to accredited installations, see our Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance for renewable installations.
Can I extend the capacity of my installation?
You can modify your accredited installation to either increase or decrease its capacity as long as the total installed capacity (TIC) of the installation and any extensions does not exceed 5 Megawatts (or 2 Kilowatts for micro-CHP).
However, you cannot receive FIT payments in respect of electricity generated from any additional capacity unless the extension was commissioned before 15 January 2016.
You must notify your FIT licensee of the modification, as well as Ofgem if the installation was accredited under ROO-FIT. If generation and export meters record electricity generated by both accredited capacity and non-accredited capacity, then payments must be prorated accordingly.
You can read more about extensions and proration in our Feed-in Tariffs: Guidance for renewable installations.
I have recently replaced my generation or export meter. Do I need to tell Ofgem about it?
If you are the generator of an MCS-FIT installation, you only need to notify your FIT licensee. If you have a ROO-FIT installation, you must also notify Ofgem of the changes by updating the installations registration on the Renewables & CHP Register. Ofgem will then review any changes before they are applied.
I’m planning on getting a smart meter installed. How will this affect my payments?
Your generation payments will not be affected. If you currently receive ‘deemed export payments’, then these will stop and you will instead receive export payments for the amount of electricity recorded by the meter exported to the grid.
‘Deemed export payments’ are paid when installations have a capacity under 30kW with no export meter, or where the electricity exported cannot be properly measured. These payments are based on an estimate of the amount of electricity the installation exports to the grid. The amount of electricity that is deemed to be exported is fixed at a percentage of the generation of the installation. That percentage is set each year by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
I want to add battery storage or an electric vehicle charging station to my property. Will this affect my payments?
As long as your electricity generation (and export, if on metered export) can still be accurately measured, your payments will not be affected. However, if it can’t be, you can’t receive payments for that electricity.
You must be able to measure the electricity generated (and exported, if applicable) by the installation separately from all other sources to receive generation payments (and export payments, if metered).
For more in-depth guidance, together with example installation diagrams, please see our co-location of electricity storage guidance.