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Solar panel installation certificate and commissioning record
A commissioning record for a solar PV system. Record the panels and inverter, and the form works out the array size in kWp. Add each string with its open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, insulation resistance and polarity, check the isolators and labels, and record the G98 or G99 route, the DNO date, the MCS certificate and what was handed over. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
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What certificate do you get when solar panels are installed?
A home solar PV installation by an MCS certified installer comes with an MCS certificate, alongside the electrical installation certificate, the manuals and warranties and a generation estimate. MCS says an installation must be MCS certified to be eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee. Behind the certificate, the installer records the string tests, isolation and labelling, and notifies the DNO under G98 or applies under G99.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 17 October 2026 against MCS: notifying DNOs, MCS: a compliance reminder for MCS certificates (14 days after commissioning) and MCS: Smart Export Guarantee for installers.
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Every question in the solar PV commissioning template
A solar PV commissioning record: panels, inverter, string tests (Voc, Isc, insulation resistance, polarity), isolators and labels, the G98 or G99 route, MCS certificate, generation meter and handover. 4 sections and 66 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
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This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Client: the project's customer
- Site: the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
System
- ProjectShort answerFills in from the project name
- ClientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Site*Short answerFills in from the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Array position (GPS)Short answer
Mark current location by the array or at the inverter, so the record and the next visit find the system.
- Date commissioned*Date
- TimeTime
- Installer and MCS certification number*Short answer
- Electrical competence (for example competent person scheme)Short answer
- Panel make and model*Short answer
- Number of panelsNumber
- Panel rating (Wp)Number
- Array size (kWp)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Inverter make and model*Short answer
- Scan the inverter labelScan a label: serial number, model number
Optional. Scan the label or tag to capture its numbers.
- Inverter AC rating (kW)Number
- SupplyChoose one
- Single-phase
- Three-phase
- Is a battery installed with it?Yes or No
- Weather captureAnswer
Record estimated current conditions and add what you observe on site.
String tests
- Voc tolerance you are working to (±%)Number
From your commissioning procedure. The form compares each string's Voc with the expected value within this tolerance.
- Minimum insulation resistance you are working to (MΩ)Number
From your test procedure, for the system voltage and test voltage used.
- Strings testedRepeat for each string. Each one asks:
- String reference*Short answer
- Panels in the stringNumber
- Open-circuit voltage Voc (V)Number
- Expected Voc for this string (V)Number
From the design: the module Voc times the panels in the string, corrected for the cell temperature at the time of the test.
- Difference from expected (%)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Voc against the toleranceWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Short-circuit current Isc (A)Number
- Insulation resistance (MΩ)Number
- Insulation resistance against the minimumWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- PolarityChoose one
- Correct
- Fault
- Result*Choose one
- Pass
- Fail
- NotesNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Strings testedWorked out by the form
- Panels in the stringsWorked out by the form
- Against the number of panelsWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Strings with Voc outside the toleranceWorked out by the form
- Strings below the insulation minimumWorked out by the form
- Polarity faultsWorked out by the form
- Strings marked as failedWorked out by the form
- WarningA string is outside the Voc tolerance, below the insulation minimum or has a polarity fault. Find the cause and retest before the system is energised and handed over.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceString tests follow BS EN 62446-1 (grid-connected PV: documentation, commissioning tests and inspection): continuity of protective conductors, polarity, open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc) and insulation resistance of each string. The installation itself must meet BS 7671 Section 712 (solar photovoltaic power supply systems). Compare each reading against the expected value from the design and the manufacturer data, not a general figure.
- DC and AC isolators fitted and labelled?Yes or No
- Warning labels fitted at the meter, consumer unit and inverter?Yes or No
- Generation meter reading at commissioningShort answer
- Monitoring app set up for the customer?Yes or No
DNO and MCS
- Connection routeChoose one
- G98: notify after commissioning
- G99: approved before installation
- GuidanceMCS guidance: where G98 applies and the system is under 16 A per phase, notify the DNO within 28 days of commissioning (G98 Form B). Where G99 applies, above 16 A per phase, permission to connect is needed before installation.
- WarningOver 3.68 kW with a battery. MCS says the application (Form A1-1, or Form A1-2 for a fully type-tested integrated system) must go to the DNO before installation.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Date the DNO was notified or approvedDate
- Days from commissioning to notificationWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- WarningMore than 28 days after commissioning.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- WarningThe approval date is after the commissioning date. G99 approval is needed before installation.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- MCS certificate numberShort answer
- Date the MCS certificate was createdDate
- GuidanceMCS sets a deadline for creating the MCS certificate after the commissioning date, and the period has changed over time. Check the current MCS installer scheme documents (MCS 001 and MIS 3002) or the MCS Installation Database for the deadline that applies to this job.
- WarningMore than 14 days after commissioning. Check this against the current MCS deadline.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceMCS: to be paid under the Smart Export Guarantee, the installation must be MCS certified and have a smart meter that records exported electricity.
Handover
- CheckThis is a site commissioning record. It supports the MCS certificate and the Electrical Installation Certificate, but it is not either certificate. Issue those separately.
- Are there defects or actions to record?Yes or No
- Defects and actionsRepeat for each entry. Each one asks:Shown when “Are there defects or actions to record?” is Yes
- Defect or action*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Low
- OwnerShort answer
- DueDate
- StatusChoose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- PhotosPhotos
- Actions still openWorked out by the formShown when “Are there defects or actions to record?” is Yes
- Urgent actionsWorked out by the formShown when “Are there defects or actions to record?” is Yes
- Photos of the array, inverter, isolators and labelsPhotos
- Handed overTick all that apply
- MCS certificate
- Electrical installation certificate
- Manuals and warranties
- Generation estimate
- How to isolate the system
- Customer nameShort answer
- Customer signatureSignature
- Installer name*Short answer
- Installer signatureSignature
- Recommended next inspection dueDate
Set by the installer from the O&M manual and the electrical certificate.
- Days to the next inspectionWorked out by the formShown when “Date commissioned” is answered and “Recommended next inspection due” is answered
- CheckThe next due date is before the date of this visit. Check the date.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
See it filled in
A completed solar PV commissioning report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Solar PV commissioning FAQs
When do I notify the DNO?
MCS guidance: where G98 applies and the system is under 16 A per phase, notify the DNO within 28 days of commissioning using G98 Form B. Where G99 applies, above 16 A per phase, permission to connect is needed before installation. The form warns when a G98 notification is late.
What string tests are recorded?
For each string: the number of panels, open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), insulation resistance and polarity, with a pass or fail. The form counts the strings that failed and asks for notes on each failure.
What if there is a battery as well?
Answer that a battery is installed. If the inverter is over 3.68 kW and the route is G98, the form warns that MCS says the application (Form A1-1, or Form A1-2 for a fully type-tested integrated system) must go to the DNO before installation.
How soon is the MCS certificate due?
MCS requires the MCS certificate to be created no later than 14 days after the commissioning date. The form records the certificate number and date, and warns when it is more than 14 days.
Is this the MCS certificate?
No. The MCS certificate is created by the MCS certified installer through MCS. This form is the commissioning record behind it, with readings, photos and the customer's signature.
Who uses this?
MCS solar installers, electrical contractors and housing providers fitting PV to their homes.
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