Can a business get paid for exporting solar?
The SEG launched on 1 January 2020. It requires some electricity suppliers, SEG licensees, to pay small-scale low-carbon generators for electricity they export back to the grid (Ofgem). It is not just for homes: eligibility depends on the technology and size of the installation, and businesses, farms and public bodies with solar can all apply. Solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro-CHP are the eligible technologies (Ofgem).
SEG eligibility for business systems
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| Location | Great Britain only, not Northern Ireland |
| Size | Total installed capacity up to 5 MW; above that, export deals are commercial contracts outside the SEG |
| Up to 50 kW | Installation and installer suitably certified, for example an MCS certificate, or accreditation to EN 45011 or EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012 |
| 50 kW to 5 MW | Installation suitably certified; no installer certification requirement; the SEG licensee decides what evidence it needs |
| Metering | A meter capable of half-hourly measurement with an export MPAN, at the point of connection |
| Rate | Set by the SEG licensee; must always be above zero |
Sources: Ofgem, Ofgem generators, SEG Guidance for Generators. If a SEG licensee can't be shown the installation is suitably certified, it is not obliged to pay under the SEG, though it may choose to.
Size your system to your own use, with export as a bonus: book a free site survey.
Book a free site surveyChoosing a SEG tariff
- Shop around. Ofgem publishes the list of SEG licensees and advises comparing tariffs
- Any licensee. SEG licensees must offer a tariff to all eligible generators, so you can look beyond the supplier you buy from; check each offer's terms
- Who must offer one. Suppliers with at least 150,000 domestic customers must offer at least one SEG compliant tariff; others may do so voluntarily
- Fixed or variable. Rates and contract lengths vary; check how and when the rate can change
- Meter readings. Payments are based on export meter readings, so check how the licensee will take them
Export limits from the network
The network operator may cap how much the site can export, especially for larger systems in areas where the local network is full. An export-limited or zero export system still saves money on everything it supplies on site; it just earns less, or nothing, from the SEG. See grid connection and export limits.
Why using it yourself is usually worth more
Every unit your panels supply on site replaces a unit bought at your full delivered price: energy, network charges, policy costs and the Climate Change Levy. Across UK businesses that averaged 24.5p per kWh in April to June 2026, including the levy and excluding VAT, on government figures (DESNZ). Export tariffs are set by suppliers and are usually far below that.
Example only
How to compare self-use and export
- Value of a unit used on site = what you pay per kWh on your contract (for example, the 24.5p business average)
- Value of a unit exported = your SEG tariff per kWh (check your own offer)
- Every unit moved from export to self-use is worth the difference between the two
- So size the system to your daytime use, and treat export as a bonus on the surplus
Use your own contract price and the SEG offer you are given. We don't quote SEG rates because suppliers set and change them.
See how much solar you need, batteries (which shift surplus to later in the day) and business electricity prices.
Sources
Ofgem's SEG pages and the SEG Guidance for Generators, and DESNZ QEP 3.4.2 (published 29 September 2026), were read on 2 November 2026.