Business Microgeneration - Get paid for making electricity

Prior to commencing any export or qualifying for Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) remuneration, We require validation of your site’s active and correct technical configuration on the national grid. This PRE-ONBOARDING phase, is managed by the installer & customer, and is the critical first step in achieving a compliant export status.

Please confirm the following mandatory requirements have been met to ensure eligibility.

Submit NC6 Form

• Generator must meet IS EN50549-1 and provide type test certificate.
• Installation by a Safe Electric registered contractor
• ESB Networks installs Smart Meter (if eligible, within 4 months)
• Fee: No charge for connection

Submit NC7 Form + technical documents

• ESB Networks conducts technical study
• Sign and return connection agreement
• Install generator and provide confirmation certificate
• Fee: €977.85 to cover the detailed technical study. Within 30 days or application is withdrawn

Submit NC8 (inverter) or NC5 (synchronous) form

• ESBN performs technical assessment
• Accept connection offer and sign agreement
• Meter: An import-export meter Is required.
• Fee: €1,223.85 to cover the detailed technical study. Within 30 days or application is withdrawn

Before you can start exporting energy or qualify for Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) remuneration, Pinergy requires that your site’s technical configuration on the national grid is validated and fully compliant. This PRE-ONBOARDING phase is a mandatory first step that must be completed before your generator is eligible to export. Our Pinergy team is available to guide and advise both the installer and the customer throughout this process.

To ensure your site is ready, please confirm the following requirements have been met:

• Classification and Application
• Your generator must be officially classified as a “renewables self-consumer.”

The installer must submit the correct connection notification form to ESB Networks based on your project type:

• Microgeneration (Microgen): NC6 Form
• Minigeneration (Mini-Gen): NC7 Form
• Small-Scale Generation (SSG): NC8 or NC5 Form (depending on the project type)

Export Capacity

Your Maximum Export Capacity (MEC) must be registered in the central energy market system.

Metering: A Smart Meter must be installed for Micro- and Minigeneration For SSG, a mandatory Import/Export (G/H) Meter is required.

Completing this pre-onboarding ensures your site is compliant and eligible for export. Pinergy’s team can assist with any questions or steps needed to meet these requirements.

Receiving payment for your micro-generated electricity is very simple. You just need to contract with Pinergy, and we will start paying you for the energy you export.

Pinergy Conditions and Payments:

• Pinergy Customer: You must be a Pinergy customer for both the import supply and export of electricity to be eligible to receive the CEG payments.
• Export Tariff: fixed rate which is subject to change
• Bill Credits: Payments will be reflected as direct credits on your electricity bill, in line with your billing cycle.

With your physical SSG installation successfully completed, you are ready for the final step: setting up your export arrangements with Pinergy to begin your journey of receiving payments.

The formal process with Pinergy is required to activate and commence receiving payments for your exported energy. This involves the accurate and timely submission of mandatory documentation, ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements.

The WP0014 process applies specifically to Small-Scale Generation (SSG) and does not apply to Microgeneration installations.

Mandatory Steps for Export Payment Activation

Activation is secured through the completion and submission of two core documents: the WP14 Form and the SSG Contract Addendum.

Step 1: Completion and Submission of the WP14 Form

The WP14 form serves as the official registration document for your export arrangements, which is essential for regulatory compliance and payment activation.

Step 2: Signing the SSG Contract Addendum (Onboarding Document)

The SSG Contract Addendum is a mandatory pre-onboarding document designed to simplify the process and ensure complete transparency of the commercial terms governing your export arrangement. This Addendum will be requested for signature concurrently with the WP14 Form.

Key Terms within the Addendum:

• Export Tariff: The agreed price per kWh for the exported energy. These prices are subject to review after a one-year period.
• Duration: A clear, fixed-term contract with a 12-month validity period.
• Payment Details: Comprehensive information regarding the billing and reconciliation process, necessary contact details, and bank account information.

Invoice and Payment Process

• Processing Timeline: The document processing stage typically requires 2 to 4 weeks to finalise.
• Payment Activation: Payments will commence after the documents are processed and Pinergy receives the official meter readings from ESB Networks. The Generator is required to issue a self-invoice to formally initiate the monthly payment process.

The WP14 (referring to Working Practice ID WP0014) is a mandatory registration document essential for activating export payments, specifically for Small-Scale Generation (SSG) projects.

What is it?

The WP14 Form (formally Request for / Update of Export Arrangements) is the official registration document that allows generators and suppliers (Pinergy) to communicate their export arrangements to the Meter Registration System Operator (MRSO or ESB Networks) for implementation. It is vital for regulatory compliance and to activate the start of payments for your exported energy.

WP0014 is mandatory when:

• Initiating new SSG exports (post-meter installation),
• Upgrading from Micro/Mini to SSG (post-upgrade),
• Changing electricity supplier,
• After meter recalibration.

Timing & Considerations:

• From the submission of WP14 the process can take up to 1 month.
• Recommended: configure at least 1 months in advance to receive the first export payment on time.
• Only Form 1 of the WP14 must be accurately completed and signed by the customer.
• Missing or inaccurate information may result in processing delays or rejection.

Document Download (SSG): The form is part of the WP0014 Working Practice document. You can find the relevant form pages by consulting the full document:

Download Working Practice 0014 (includes Form)

With your physical SSG installation successfully completed, you are ready for the final step: setting up your export arrangements with Pinergy to begin your journey of receiving payments.

The formal process with Pinergy is required to activate and commence receiving payments for your exported energy. This involves the accurate and timely submission of mandatory documentation, ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements.

The WP0014 process applies specifically to Small-Scale Generation (SSG) and does not apply to Microgeneration installations.

Mandatory Steps for Export Payment Activation

Activation is secured through the completion and submission of two core documents: the WP14 Form and the SSG Contract Addendum.

Step 1: Completion and Submission of the WP14 Form

The WP14 form serves as the official registration document for your export arrangements, which is essential for regulatory compliance and payment activation.

Step 2: Signing the SSG Contract Addendum (Onboarding Document)

The SSG Contract Addendum is a mandatory pre-onboarding document designed to simplify the process and ensure complete transparency of the commercial terms governing your export arrangement. This Addendum will be requested for signature concurrently with the WP14 Form.

Key Terms within the Addendum:

• Export Tariff: The agreed price per kWh for the exported energy. These prices are subject to review after a one-year period.
• Duration: A clear, fixed-term contract with a 12-month validity period.
• Payment Details: Comprehensive information regarding the billing and reconciliation process, necessary contact details, and bank account information.

Invoice and Payment Process

• Processing Timeline: The document processing stage typically requires 2 to 4 weeks to finalise.
• Payment Activation: Payments will commence after the documents are processed and Pinergy receives the official meter readings from ESB Networks. The Generator is required to issue a self-invoice to formally initiate the monthly payment process.

The Clean Export Guarantee scheme provides for the remuneration, reflecting market value, to customers for their renewable, self-generated, exported electricity which is surplus to their own consumption. These arrangements apply to domestic and non-domestic customers who are renewables self-consumers with any size of generation capacity installed, including micro-scale, mini-scale, and small-scale generation.

Customers must be registered with a supplier under this Scheme to receive payment.

• Microgeneration (up to 11kVA)

Suitable for small renewable systems in commercial settings.

Requires completion of the NC6 form for ESB Networks.

• Mini-generation (11kVA to 50kVA)

For larger renewable installations that generate more energy.

Requires the NC7 form to be submitted to ESB Networks.

• Small-scale Generation (50kVA to 200kVA)

Typically includes extensive renewable setups in larger commercial settings.

Requires both the NC8 form and the Working Practice 14 (WP14) form for full setup.

• Non-export (200kVA to 1MW)

This would cover larger projects that are zero export and as such will have no spill to the grid.

Requires the NC5 form to be completed.

• Be a Pinergy Customer: To receive export payments from Pinergy, commercial customers must have an active Pinergy account.
• Renewables Self-Consumer: You must meet the EU’s definition of “renewables self-consumer”, which is someone who produces renewable energy on their own property to use themselves.
• Completed Connection Process: Ensure your system is fully registered in the Central Market System (CMS) following ESB Networks’ guidelines.

• ESB Networks are expected to commence the rollout of 3 phase meters (Smart Meters for Commercial Customer) in late 2025. Please check the ESB Networks website for further updates regarding the rollout.
• For systems which do not have a smart meter installed, the export is calculated under the deemed export calculation.

• Customers who do not have an ESB Networks Smart Meter will be paid by a “Deemed Export Quantity” which is an estimation.

This estimation is based on an ESB Networks formula, of exported electricity in kWh: it will be used as a proxy for metered export data,

The formula to calculate Deemed export quantity = MEC x Capacity Factor x Export Factor x Provision Interval.

Where:

MEC is a capacity value in units of kW, representing the generation capacity of the installed generation equipment, as declared via ESBN’s NC7 (or equivalent) form

Capacity Factor is the ratio of average electricity produced to the theoretical maximum possible if the installed capacity was generating at a maximum for a full year. CRU have proposed this value is set at 9.7% for all technology types. It is the average capacity factor of photovoltaic panels

Export Factor is the amount of electricity (expressed as a percentage of electricity produced) deemed to be exported, where the metered data is not available. CRU have set this value at 35%

Provision Interval is the number of hours in the period for which cumulative export quantities are to be calculated and to be made available to suppliers by ESBN

Example of a deemed calculation:

Sample calculation for Deemed Export Quantity

Example: Commercial customer with an MEC of 50 and where the “Provision Interval” is 12 months (= 8760 hours)

Deemed Export Quantity = MEC x Capacity Factor x Export Factor x Provision Interval

Deemed Export Quantity = 14,870.1kWh (=50 X 0.097 x 0.35 x 8760)

• Monthly Payments: Payments for exported energy are credited monthly and shown on your Pinergy App or bill.
• Tariff Agreement: Payment rates for mini and small-scale generation are determined through an agreement between Pinergy and the customer.

• For small-scale commercial customers (50kVA to 200kVA), completing the Working Practice 14 (WP14) form is essential for receiving export payments. The form outlines the payment and operational process and can be found on the RMDS website under “Market Design – Working Practices.”

• Commercial customers should confirm if their installer submitted the appropriate form (e.g., NC7 or NC8). If unsure, contact your installer or ESB Networks for confirmation. Additional information and all relevant forms are available on the ESB Networks website.