Solar PPAs in Northern Ireland: a different market from Great Britain
A solar PPA in Northern Ireland is the same idea as anywhere else, a provider-owned array selling you its power, but almost every rule around it is local: no SEG, one network company, its own regulator, an all-island wholesale market and its own licence exemptions.
Quick answer: solar PPAs in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland a PPA provider still funds and owns the array and you pay per kWh, but there is no Smart Export Guarantee, NIE Networks must approve a G99/NI connection before installation, the Utility Regulator rather than Ofgem licenses supply, and power trades in the all-island Single Electricity Market. Compare any tariff with your own unit rate, not a GB price.
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What is different in Northern Ireland
| Northern Ireland | Great Britain, for comparison | |
|---|---|---|
| Export payments | No SEG; suppliers set their own export tariffs | SEG, rates must be above zero |
| Regulator | Utility Regulator | Ofgem |
| Networks | NIE Networks (sole distribution operator and transmission owner); SONI is system operator | Regional DNOs such as NGED and SP Energy Networks; NESO |
| Wholesale market | All-island Single Electricity Market, run by SEMO | GB wholesale market |
| Licence exemptions | Class Exemptions Order (NI) 2013, Schedule 3 | Class Exemption Order 2001 |
Sources: Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee; Utility Regulator — electricity; SEMO — about the Single Electricity Market; Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order (NI) 2013, Schedule 3. Checked 3 November 2026.
Export without SEG
Ofgem's eligibility rule for the Smart Export Guarantee is that "installations must be located in Great Britain". A Northern Ireland array cannot earn it, so any export assumption in a PPA quote rests on a supplier's own tariff.
- Power NI pays 11.88p/kWh for micro-generation export from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. Its page does not state an eligibility limit for larger arrays, so treat that rate as a micro-generation figure, not the rate a PPA-scale array would be paid.
- Since 1 October 2022 micro-generators have been paid on actual meter reads rather than a deemed 45% of generation, after a Utility Regulator decision.
- Wind and solar dispatch-down (curtailment plus constraint) was 29% in 2024 and 22% in 2025. That mostly hits grid-connected farms, but it shows the NI network cannot always take exported power, which argues for sizing an array to what the site uses itself.
Who keeps any export income is a PPA term; SEG versus a PPA explains the Great Britain baseline; check that an NI quote does not quietly assume it.
Sources: Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee; Power NI — microgeneration tariff rates; Utility Regulator — micro-generator export decision; DfE — Energy in Northern Ireland 2026 (PDF). Checked 3 November 2026.
Connecting through NIE Networks
NIE Networks uses its own versions of the connection codes, and the windows below are NIE's own; nothing else about timing is published.
| Route | Size | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| G98/NI | Up to 3.68kW single-phase or 11.04kW three-phase (16A per phase) | Installer submits the commissioning form within 30 days of commissioning; several installs on one site need an NIE study first |
| G99/NI Fast Track (from 1 May 2026) | Up to 60A per phase installed, export capped at 16A per phase | Approval before installation: it is not a fit-and-inform process |
| Full G99/NI | Larger systems | 90 days to accept the quotation; for permitted-development export applications a planning milestone 120 days after the offer; a longstop 24 months after the scheduled completion date |
NIE Networks upgraded its generation capacity map on 9 March 2026, showing headroom by substation, and some areas run under temporary rules: Limavady Main accepted export applications only from 15 September 2026. A PPA provider will check the map before it prices a site.
Sources: NIE Networks — G98/NI microgeneration limits; NIE Networks — G99/NI applications; NIE Networks — capacity map upgrade (9 March 2026). Checked 3 November 2026.
Who can sell you the power
Supplying electricity in Northern Ireland needs a licence from the Utility Regulator unless an exemption applies. The exemptions are in Schedule 3 of the Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order (Northern Ireland) 2013, which legislation.gov.uk holds only in its original format. Two classes matter for solar PPAs:
- Class A, small supply: a person supplying its own generation within a limit of 500 kilowatts, or, "in the case of electrical power generated solely by non-fossil fuel generating sets, one megawatt".
- Class C, on-site supply: a person supplying its own generation only to consumers on the same site as the generating station.
An on-site PPA usually relies on one of these classes; check the conditions with a lawyer, because each class has more of them than this summary carries. Supply beyond them, including a sleeved or off-site deal, runs through a supplier licensed in Northern Ireland and trading in the Single Electricity Market. The structures themselves are covered in sleeved PPAs and on-site PPAs.
Sources: Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order (NI) 2013, Schedule 3; Utility Regulator — electricity; SEMO — about the Single Electricity Market. Checked 3 November 2026.
Rates on an NI array
Northern Ireland draws its rating line at 50kW. Generating plant up to 50kW is not rateable under the Rates (Microgeneration) Order (NI) 2012; above 50kW it is, and plant that mainly supplies the host building is valued with that property. The Reval 2026 revaluation was halted by the Finance Minister on 29 January 2026 with no new date, so do not rely on any published Reval 2026 value. Most PPA arrays are above 50kW, so the PPA should name the ratepayer; business rates on a solar PPA sets out the clause.
Sources: Department of Finance NI — renewable energy valuation practice notes; Department of Finance NI — Reval 2026 halted. Checked 3 November 2026.
Yield and price
| Modelled site (PVGIS v5.3) | Optimal tilt | 10° due south |
|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 922 kWh/kWp | 828 kWh/kWp |
| Enniskillen | 854 kWh/kWp | 779 kWh/kWp |
| Derry/Londonderry | 843 kWh/kWp | 769 kWh/kWp |
These are modelled long-term averages (SARAH3, 14% losses), not guarantees. The east of the province models about 9% more output per kWp than the north-west, so a Belfast roof and a Derry roof will not price the same (the city's estates are covered on solar PPAs in Belfast). Compare any NI PPA tariff with your own current unit rate: Great Britain grid prices are not a guide here. How PPA rates are set explains what a provider builds into the figure.
The market is growing from a modest base: Northern Ireland had 371 MW of solar PV in 2024 and 32,342 solar PV sites, renewables supplied 50% of Northern Ireland's electricity consumption in the year to June 2026, and the Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 sets a target of at least 80% by 2030. A Renewable Electricity Generation Bill introduced on 30 June 2026 would create an auction framework, with no auction date and no small-scale element.
Sources: EU JRC — PVGIS v5.3 (SARAH3, 14% losses); DfE — Energy in Northern Ireland 2026 (PDF); DfE — electricity consumption and renewable generation, year to June 2026; DAERA — Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 key elements; DfE — Renewable Electricity Generation Bill introduced. Checked 3 November 2026.
Grant expectations, and the alternatives
Realistic expectations
Northern Ireland's one part-grant for business solar, which paid a fifth of the cost at most, has closed for applications for 2026/27. Plan on another route.
- NISEP Commercial Energy Saving Scheme (delivered by Power NI within the Utility Regulator's NISEP programme): Power NI's NISEP-funded grant for business solar PV (20%, capped at £30,000) has closed for applications for 2026/27; Power NI expects the next round to open in April 2027, subject to funding approval.
- Invest NI Energy Efficiency Capital Grant: paused, not accepting enquiries or new applications, with no reopening date.
- NIRO: closed to new generation since 31 March 2017.
As information rather than advice: a solar PPA needs no capital because the provider owns the array, while owning it yourself earns UK capital allowances (the £1m AIA, then the 50% special-rate first-year allowance). Do not assume NISEP can sit alongside a provider-owned PPA array. The scheme-by-scheme picture for all four nations is on PPA vs grant-funded solar.
Sources: Utility Regulator — NISEP list of schemes 2026-27 (p.33); Invest NI — Energy Efficiency Capital Grant; DfE — Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation; CAA 2001 s104A (special rate expenditure). Checked 3 November 2026.
Send us your Northern Ireland site
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Solar PPAs in Northern Ireland: questions
Does the Smart Export Guarantee apply in Northern Ireland?
No. Ofgem's SEG rules say installations must be located in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland export is paid by suppliers on their own terms; Power NI's micro-generation tariff is 11.88p/kWh for 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, and its page does not say whether larger arrays qualify.
Who regulates a solar PPA in Northern Ireland?
The Utility Regulator licenses electricity suppliers and network companies in Northern Ireland; Ofgem does not. Selling electricity needs a supply licence unless an exemption in the 2013 NI Class Exemptions Order applies, which is why an on-site PPA is usually structured around one of those exemptions.
Can a NISEP grant be combined with a PPA?
Not for 2026/27: Power NI's NISEP-funded grant for business solar PV (20%, capped at £30,000) has closed for applications; Power NI expects the next round to open in April 2027, subject to funding approval. It part-funds measures at your property, and under a PPA the provider owns the array. Check with Power NI before planning on both for one system.
Sources for the figures on this page
| Figure on this page | Value | Source (checked 3 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| SEG geography | Installations must be located in Great Britain | Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee |
| Power NI export tariff | 11.88p/kWh, 1 Oct 2026 to 30 Sep 2027 (micro-generation) | Power NI — microgeneration tariff rates |
| Export settlement | Meter reads, not deemed 45%, since 1 Oct 2022 | Utility Regulator — micro-generator export decision |
| Network and regulator roles | NIE Networks, SONI, Utility Regulator | Utility Regulator — electricity |
| Licence exemptions | Class A 500kW / 1MW solely non-fossil; Class C on-site | Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order (NI) 2013, Schedule 3 |
| G98/NI | 3.68 / 11.04kW; commissioning form within 30 days | NIE Networks — G98/NI microgeneration limits |
| G99/NI | Fast Track from 1 May 2026 (60A installed, 16A export per phase); 90-day acceptance; 120-day planning milestone; longstop 24 months after scheduled completion | NIE Networks — G99/NI applications |
| Capacity map | Upgraded 9 Mar 2026; Limavady Main from 15 Sep 2026 | NIE Networks — capacity map upgrade (9 March 2026) |
| Rates | Up to 50kW not rateable; Reval 2026 halted 29 Jan 2026 | Department of Finance NI — renewable energy valuation practice notes |
| PVGIS yield | Belfast 922 / 828; Enniskillen 854 / 779; Derry 843 / 769 kWh/kWp | EU JRC — PVGIS v5.3 (SARAH3, 14% losses) |
| Solar in NI | 371 MW on 32,342 sites; dispatch-down 29% (2024), 22% (2025) | DfE — Energy in Northern Ireland 2026 (PDF) |
| Renewables share | 50% of consumption, year to June 2026 | DfE — electricity consumption and renewable generation, year to June 2026 |
| NISEP Commercial | 20%, capped at £30,000; closed for applications for 2026/27, next round expected April 2027 (subject to funding approval) | Utility Regulator — NISEP list of schemes 2026-27 (p.33) |
| Invest NI EECG | Paused, no reopening date | Invest NI — Energy Efficiency Capital Grant |