Solar Panel Installer Widnes, an independent guide / Choosing

Glossary: the words on a solar quote

Solar quotes are written in a mixture of electrical shorthand and scheme names. These are the terms you are most likely to meet on a Widnes quote, and in this guide, each in a sentence or two.

Sources checked on 3 November 2026. Written by SEO Dons, which sells and fits nothing.

A to Z

AC and DC: Panels make direct current (DC); the house and the grid use alternating current (AC). The inverter converts one to the other.
Clipping: Output lost when the panels could deliver more than the inverter's maximum. The inverter holds its output at the limit and the rest is not collected.
Conservation area: An area of special character designated by the council. In Widnes there are five, from Victoria Square to Halebank. Some solar rights are narrower inside them.
DC to AC ratio: The panels' total rating divided by the inverter's AC rating. 4.84 kWp on 3.68 kW is about 1.32 to 1.
DNO: Distribution network operator: the company that runs the local cables. In Widnes, SP Energy Networks.
EPC: Energy Performance Certificate. Rates a home from A to G; the Warm Homes: Local Grant needs D to G.
Export limit: A setting that stops a home sending more than an agreed power to the grid at any moment. What the house uses is not limited.
G98: The engineering recommendation for small home generators: up to 16 A per phase, connected first and notified within 28 days.
G99: The recommendation for larger generators: the installer applies, and the network approves, sometimes with conditions, before connection.
Hybrid inverter: An inverter that handles both panels and a battery, so storage does not add a second inverter to the export total.
kW and kWh: kW is power, a rate; kWh is energy, an amount. A 1 kW load running for an hour uses 1 kWh.
kWp: Kilowatt peak: the panels' combined rating under laboratory test conditions.
MCS: The certification scheme for small renewable installations. Export tariffs and the loan scheme generally need an MCS installation.
MPPT tracker: A circuit in the inverter that finds the best operating point for a string of panels. Panels on different slopes need separate trackers.
Optimiser: A small box behind a panel that lets it work at its best even if others on the string are shaded.
Permitted development: Building work allowed without a planning application, within limits set in national law.
PVGIS: The European Commission's solar model, free to use online. This guide uses it for Widnes's yearly, monthly and hourly figures.
SEG: The scheme under which licensed suppliers offer tariffs for exported electricity. Rates vary by supplier.
Single-phase and three-phase: Most homes have a single-phase supply. A three-phase supply, less usual in homes, can take more generation on the notify-after route.
String: A chain of panels wired in series to one inverter input. Its voltage must fit the inverter's window.

Three terms that travel together

On a Widnes quote, the inverter's AC rating in kW, the panels' kWp and the connection route are linked. The ratio between the first two sets the clipping; the first alone, plus any battery inverter, sets whether the system is a G98 or a G99 connection. When you see one, look for the other two, and if any is missing, ask. The connection checker puts all three together.

Sources for this page

Two terms people ask about most

What does clipping mean for solar panels?

It is the output lost when panels could deliver more than the inverter can handle. The inverter caps its output and the excess is not collected. In Widnes it is small unless the inverter is much smaller than the panels.

What is the difference between kW and kWp?

kWp is the panels' rating under test conditions; kW is power at any moment, and an inverter's rating is in kW. A 4.84 kWp array on a 3.68 kW inverter can never deliver more than 3.68 kW.

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