Do Chinese inverters and batteries need grid approval?
For grid-connected installations in England, Scotland and Wales, the installer determines whether prior permission or notification after installation applies. The owner must ensure the network process is completed. Check the exact model before ordering. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to collect factory evidence for your installer.
Decide the connection route before buying
The installer must assess the equipment and proposed connection to decide whether the network operator needs to be informed before or after installation. This guide focuses on homes and small businesses in England, Scotland and Wales.
Send the installer the proposed inverter and battery details, installation address, existing solar equipment and intended operating arrangement before committing to a supplier. Our solar and battery sourcing guide covers the wider purchasing checks.
Who contacts the network operator?
The installer submits the connection paperwork. The equipment owner must ensure that the network operator has received the notification and, where prior permission applies, granted authorisation before work starts.
Name the person handling the submission in your installation agreement. Ask them to identify the local distribution network operator, explain the selected route and give you copies of the submission and subsequent correspondence. Keep the factory's document collection separate from the installer's connection assessment.
Collect evidence for the exact equipment
GOV.UK points installers towards the Energy Networks Association's Type Test register for model information. If equipment is not type tested, the network operator may require additional evidence demonstrating compliance with G98 or G99.
Ask the factory for the exact model designation, datasheet, type-test report or register reference, rated output, protection details and relevant firmware information. Have the installer check that these describe the configuration being supplied. Use our test-report verification guide to check the underlying evidence, and our inverter sourcing guide for product purchasing checks.
Permission before work or notification afterwards
For an installation assessed as ‘connect and notify’, GOV.UK says installers can install and submit the relevant G98 form within 28 days of installation. For ‘apply to connect’, the application goes in before installation and the owner must ensure authorisation has been granted before work starts.
Ask the installer to record the route and its basis in writing. Include existing generation and the proposed battery in the assessment. If the supplier proposes an export-limiting setting, ask the installer to assess that configuration rather than treating the supplier's assurance as your connection decision.
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Make the order and handover traceable
Put the reviewed model, variant and agreed configuration into the purchase specification. Ask the supplier to obtain your agreement before changing the inverter, controls or firmware. Before releasing shipment, compare equipment labels and supplied documents with the pack reviewed by your installer.
At handover, collect the submitted forms, notification receipt or authorisation as applicable, commissioning records and final equipment details. Ask the installer to explain any differences from the original proposal. Cambridge China Bridge can help collect factory documents and check supplied model identities with its staff in China.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need grid approval before installing a Chinese inverter?
The installer must determine the route. ‘Apply to connect’ needs authorisation before work starts; ‘connect and notify’ allows installation followed by the relevant notification.
Who sends the battery connection application?
The installer submits the paperwork. The owner must ensure the network operator receives it and grants prior authorisation where required.
What if my inverter is not type tested?
The network operator may require additional evidence of G98 or G99 compliance. Ask your installer to agree the evidence needed before you commit to that model.
Does a no-export battery setting settle network approval?
Ask your installer to assess the proposed configuration, including existing solar equipment, and confirm the connection route in writing. Do not base the purchase solely on a factory's no-export claim.
Sources
Installing it at a UK business site? UK Charging Solutions gives guidance on EV charging, solar and battery storage for UK business sites. It is our sister company (both are Piggy Pineapple Ltd), and you are free to use anyone else.