Solar - The Roof and Process

The Roof

I had a metal roof (though in hindsight not the right type) which would last as long as the solar panels.  The best roof would be a "standing seam" metal roof, which is fairly inexpensive.  Whatever you do, make sure your roof is in good shape before moving forward, as you don't want to have to remove the whole system for roof repairs.

Starting the Process

Given that it was late in the year, the first thing I did was make application.  Get approval, and then figure it out!  

The first step was to determine whether I was eligible.  Eligibility is fairly straight forward - do you own the property on which the microfit project will be installed?  It can't be on leased property.

Next was to review the standard contract and rules.  This is updated periodically, but everyone signs onto these contracts.  They are presently on version 3.

So far, so good.  But then I needed to find something called a property identification number ("PIN") for my property, which is on the "parcel register".  That involved a trip down to the land registry office, and after some initial confusion I found what I was looking for and took a picture with my cell phone.  You can pay someone to do this but this isn't something you can't manage yourself.

From there you head online to file your Microfit application. A summary of the requirements for the filing are located here, but as noted, most of that is the property register.

The registration process asks for the nature of the project (solar) and the KWs which should always be 10KW - you can go always go lower if wrong, but you can't go higher.

Once you've submitted the application, you'll receive a submission confirmation message.