A solar PV commissioning record has to survive an MCS audit, a DNO query, an insurer and a homeowner who wants their generation figures years later. It has to tie string tests, inverter settings, earthing and the finished array together into a handover pack. So the real question about commissioning software is not which app has the most features. It is which tool gets the record written while the installer is still on the roof with the meter in hand.
Guide · Renewables
Solar PV commissioning report software for the UK.
A practical guide to capturing solar PV commissioning and handover on site, from paper packs and generic audit apps to a WhatsApp workflow your installers already know. Built around MCS, BS 7671 and DNO notification, not against them.
14-day free trial. No card required.
The point
Software does not make an install MCS compliant.
The MCS-certified installer does. Software makes the commissioning record easier to complete correctly on the roof, harder to forget a string test, and faster to turn into a handover pack. A good tool means nobody rebuilds the commissioning data from memory in the van on the way home.
One platform, three jobs
Where solar and low-carbon teams use it.
EV charge points
Install and commissioning
PEN fault protection, load management and the OZEV-standard socket recorded at handover, tied to BS 7671 and Part P.
Heat pumpsASHP commissioning to MCS
Flow temperatures, heat loss design and BUS evidence captured against MCS 020 and the installation standards.
Battery storageBESS inspection and sign-off
G99 notification, isolation and safety checks logged as commissioning evidence for the office and the client.
The friction
Most install apps never get used on the roof.
An installer on scaffolding is not opening a bespoke app with a fresh login to log string voltages. They use it for a week, then quietly go back to paper and fill it in later. The commissioning record you complete at the point of test beats the one you rebuild that evening, every time.
Run commissioning on WhatsApp
No app install. No training.
Installers use the phone they already have. Text, voice note or photo. The handover report generates itself. Setup to first live workflow usually takes under a week.
The short version
- A solar PV install in the UK is a notifiable electrical job under BS 7671 and Part P, and an MCS installation if it claims the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.
- Grid connection needs a DNO notification: G98 for small single-premises systems, G99 where G98 limits are exceeded.
- Commissioning captures string open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current, insulation resistance, earthing, inverter settings and AC checks, plus photos of the array, isolators and labelling.
- The handover pack pulls that together with the MCS certificate, the electrical certificate, the DNO paperwork and the client guidance.
- Software captures the data and generates the report. It does not replace MCS certification, a competent installer or a calibrated test instrument.
The point
What solar PV commissioning software is actually for
A grid-connected solar PV installation is an electrical installation. It falls under BS 7671, the 18th Edition wiring regulations, and the DC and AC work is notifiable under Part P in England and Wales. If the install is claimed under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, so the homeowner can access schemes and a proper handover, it must also meet the MCS installation standards and the IET Code of Practice for Grid-Connected Solar PV.
Software does not make any of that valid. The MCS-certified installer does, working to the standards with calibrated instruments. What software does is make the commissioning record easier to complete correctly on site, harder to forget a string or a label, and faster to deliver as a clean handover pack. The tool's only job is to make on-site completion the path of least resistance.
Grid connection
G98, G99 and the DNO notification
Before or shortly after energising, the Distribution Network Operator has to be told. Small single-premises systems within the limits generally use the G98 process, often connect-and-notify. Larger systems, or several installations at one site, fall under G99 with an application before connection. The engineering recommendations sit under the Energy Networks Association framework and change over time.
Quickler can capture the reference numbers, the inverter type-test details the installer records and photographs of the isolation and metering arrangement, as commissioning evidence. It is not the DNO portal and does not submit the notification for you. Check the current G98 and G99 thresholds and your DNO's own process before you rely on any of it. This is guidance, not legal or regulatory advice.
On the roof
The commissioning tests that go in the record
Commissioning a PV array means recording, per string, the open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit or operating current, and confirming they sit within the expected range for the modules and the irradiance on the day. It means insulation resistance of the DC circuits, continuity of the earthing and bonding, polarity, and the AC side checks the electrical certificate covers. It means the inverter is set to the correct grid code region and the isolators and labelling are in place.
Quickler prompts for each of these as the installer works and attaches photos of the array, the DC and AC isolators, the inverter display and the labelling at the point of test, not sorted out that evening. The office sees the commissioning status on a dashboard without chasing. It does not replace the calibrated multifunction tester or the installer's judgement.
Handover
From commissioning data to the handover pack
The homeowner should leave the job with a handover pack: the MCS certificate, the electrical installation certificate, the commissioning results, the DNO notification reference, the array and inverter details, the warranties and the guidance on running and maintaining the system. RECC and HIES set consumer protection expectations for firms selling to consumers, and a clean pack is part of meeting them.
Quickler pulls the commissioning data and photos into one report the moment the job is signed off, so the pack is not a week of chasing paperwork. It complements the MCS certificate and the electrical certificate; it does not replace either. For the electrical side, see the EICR and electrical reporting guide.
Pricing
Per report, not per seat
Most install and audit apps charge per seat. For a solar firm that is the wrong shape: the office manager who reads one commissioning report a month pays the same as the installer who files four a week, and every subcontractor you add costs more.
Quickler charges per report, with unlimited users on every bundle. Bundles run from Quickler 50 at 50 pounds a month for 50 reports, up to Quickler 500 at 500 pounds a month for 500 reports. Add as many installers, subcontractors, managers and admins as you like; you pay for the reports you file, not the people who could file them. Pricing is approximate and shifts, so check the current pricing page before you commit.
Questions, answered
What is a solar PV commissioning report?
It is the record made when a photovoltaic system is energised and tested: per-string open-circuit voltage and current, DC insulation resistance, earthing and polarity, inverter grid settings, AC checks, and photos of the array, isolators and labelling. It forms part of the handover pack alongside the MCS certificate, the electrical installation certificate and the DNO notification.
Does a solar PV install have to follow MCS?
MCS is not compulsory for every install, but it is required if the system is to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which most homeowners and scheme routes expect. An MCS install must meet the MCS installation standards and the IET Code of Practice for Grid-Connected Solar PV, and the electrical work must comply with BS 7671. Check the current MCS scheme requirements, as they change.
Do I need to notify the DNO for a solar PV system?
Yes. Grid-connected PV requires notification to the Distribution Network Operator. Small single-premises systems generally use the G98 connect-and-notify route, while larger systems or multiple installations at one site fall under G99 with an application before connection. Confirm the current G98 and G99 thresholds and your DNO's process, as the engineering recommendations change over time.
Can I capture PV commissioning over WhatsApp?
Yes. Quickler's commissioning workflow runs over the WhatsApp Business API. The installer receives each question in their existing WhatsApp chat, replies with the test reading, a voice note or a photo, and the handover report generates automatically. No separate app or login is required, and Quickler manages the WhatsApp Business API account on the firm's behalf. It records the values the installer reads off a calibrated tester; it is not the tester.