Plug-in solar panels in Newcastle upon Tyne
Three things change depending on where you live: who you notify, how much the panel actually makes, and who has to say yes first. Here are all three for Newcastle upon Tyne.
In Newcastle upon Tyne you notify Northern Powergrid
Northern Powergrid · Northeast licence area
Your network operator is fixed by your postcode. You cannot choose it and switching electricity supplier does not change it. Great Britain is divided into fourteen licence areas, and Newcastle upon Tyne falls in the Northeast licence area.
Northern Powergrid also covers Yorkshire under a separate licence, but Tyne and Wear sits in the Northeast area.
G98 notification is not optional and it is not the same thing as telling your supplier. It is a short form, it is free, and the QR code on your kit links straight to the right one. Do it before you connect, not after.
What 800W realistically makes in North East England
These are irradiance model figures for 800W of panel, not measurements from a roof down the road. Treat them as a ceiling you will fall short of rather than a target.
720 kWh
Per year, south facing, angled properly on a garden frame or flat roof with nothing shading it.
450 kWh
Per year, mounted flat against a south-facing balcony railing. The convenience costs you output.
25–60%
The share you use as it is generated. The rest goes to the grid for nothing. Being home in the day is worth more than a bigger kit.
Newcastle sits far enough north that panel angle matters more than it does in the south. A steeper tilt than you would use in Bristol will collect more over the year, and a vertical balcony mount gives away noticeably more here than it does on the south coast.
Two panels on one 800VA inverter. The sweet spot for a typical home's background load, and the largest output the rules allow.
Housing stock in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle's Tyneside flats are the interesting case. The upstairs flat in a two-door terrace usually has rights over the yard or a rear balcony, which is exactly the situation plug-in solar was designed for, but the ownership of that outdoor space is often split in a way that needs checking in the deeds first.
Jesmond, Heaton and Gosforth have extensive conservation area coverage and a high proportion of rented student and professional lets. If you rent, put the request to your landlord in writing rather than assuming, because the right to request reversible measures only helps you if you have asked.
Permission questions locally go to Newcastle City Council, or North Tyneside and Gateshead depending on your side of the river, though for a freestanding panel in a private rear garden you are usually dealing with a lease or a landlord rather than a planning officer.
The national rules apply here as everywhere
800VA cap, one device per household, certified complete kits only, no batteries. Full explainer →
Straight answers
Which DNO do I notify in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Northern Powergrid, in its Northeast licence area. G98 notification is mandatory before you connect a plug-in solar kit, and it goes to your network operator, not your electricity supplier.
How much electricity will a plug-in solar kit make in Newcastle upon Tyne?
An 800W array in Newcastle upon Tyne models at roughly 720 kWh a year at optimal tilt, or around 450 kWh flat against a vertical balcony rail. You only save money on the share you use as it is generated.
I live in the upstairs flat of a Tyneside flat. Can I use the yard?
Depends entirely on your deeds. In many Tyneside flats the rear yard is demised to the ground floor only, with the upstairs having a right of access rather than exclusive use. Check before you order, because a right of way is not a right to install.
Kits that ship to Newcastle upon Tyne
Every kit is certified as a complete product, ships free, and comes with the G98 notification link for Northern Powergrid. Use Northern Powergrid here and it fills in the local operator.
Kits available from 27 August 2026
That is the date SI 2026/848 comes into force and plug-in solar becomes legal to self-install in Great Britain. Certified kits are listed here as soon as they are available.
See all kitsShips to England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland sits outside SI 2026/848, so we cannot supply plug-in kits to NI addresses.