A remote diagnostic session reviews your portal data, confirms what export limit is set, and explains whether it can be changed or what your DNO approval actually permits.
Book your free remote diagnosticWhat's includedExcellent service from Solar Tech Support. Extremely quick to respond, easy to deal with and clearly very talented engineers. They were persistent throughout a complex GivEnergy battery issue and resolved everything completely. Highly knowledgeable, professional and reassuring support from start to finish. Highly recommended.
Fantastic service, I would highly recommend. From first contact my solar issue was resolved within 2 days. Wouldn't use anyone else.
Ron was really helpful. He remotely adjusted my battery settings on the same day I contacted him, and at a reasonable price. Great service.
Absolutely wonderful support. I have a GivEnergy system that was installed in 2022, and a firmware update was flagged in the app, so I proceeded to update the software .... and immediately regretted it, as my inverter came up with an error, and was not working at all! With no GivEnergy support available, and my installer saying there was nothing he could do, I googled help, and found Ron. What a stroke of good luck! Submitted an on line enquiry late morning, and received phone call just after 5 pm, and later that evening Ron was able to supply me with old firmware no longer available on the GivEnergy web site. I was then able to update the firmware using a GivEnergy youtube video as reference, and hey presto the system was back up and running. One further slight adjustment by Ron and we are back normal. What a relief. I have no hesitation in recommending Solar Tech Support if you have a problem. Great service! And if you are a GivEnergy system owner, whatever you do, DO NOT UPDATE FIRMWARE!
Great service. Got our Givenergy battery back online remotely when others said it needed an onsite visit. Ron resolved the issue within about an hour of my email. Brilliant service.
I have a GivEnergy system consisting of two batteries, two inverters and a controlling EMS (Energy Management System) which has not worked since Nov 2025. After six months I discovered Solar Tech Support, reached out to them and Ron phoned me back – how often do you get that service? Could not be more helpful – worked directly with me over the phone, outside what I would call normal working hours. Lucid explanations and we were able to discuss the issues and history using camera and email history. As this was a very rare setup, Ron was able to access an EMS expert in the field to confirm the solution. One sunny day in, I am now only paying for standing charge and a few pence for spikes in grid consumption while battery catches up with house demand.
Export limits are set to manage grid stability and are a legal requirement under UK grid connection rules.
Your network operator (DNO) specifies a maximum export limit in your G98/G99 approval. This is often 0 kW (zero export), 2 kW, or 4 kW. You cannot exceed this without formal written consent from the DNO.
Your installer may have configured a lower limit in the inverter settings to stay well below the DNO maximum, as a safety margin. This is configurable and can be changed — provided it doesn't exceed the DNO limit.
When solar generation exceeds house consumption, the excess is normally exported to the grid. If an export limit is set and active, the inverter curtails (reduces) generation once it reaches the limit, preventing any excess from being exported.
On weak grid connections (rural areas, long cable runs), multiple solar systems exporting simultaneously can cause voltage and frequency instability. Export limits protect the grid. Urban networks with stronger connections are more likely to permit higher or zero limits.
Battery systems add complexity: solar is limited, but battery discharge to the grid (if supported) may also be limited. Some systems let the battery bypass the export limit; others apply it to all export. Check your system's specification.
Common on weak connections. Your system must use all generated power locally (house loads or battery). No power can be exported to the grid. You cannot benefit from Smart Export Guarantee rates.
Some systems ship from the factory with 0W export enabled, or an installer sets it to 0W as a placeholder. If your DNO approval permits export (e.g., 4 kW), this is too conservative and is wasting solar potential. Increase the limit to match your DNO approval.
A reversed CT clamp makes the system see power direction backwards. The inverter may incorrectly trigger export limiting, suppress generation to prevent exceeding the limit (even when it shouldn't), or misread import/export entirely. Run the kettle test to check. See CT clamp installed wrong.
Your DNO approval may permit 4 kW export, but the inverter setting is 200W or 1 kW. This is overly restrictive. Check your DNO letter and increase the inverter limit to the approved maximum, if the setting is configurable.
A firmware update or accidental system mode change can reset the export limit to 0W or a default value. If curtailment suddenly started after an update, check whether the limit was reset and restore it to the correct value.
On hybrid systems, a misconfigured export limit can prevent the battery from charging from the grid or discharging to export, because the system incorrectly counts battery current as export. Check the portal event log for export limiting messages during battery events.
Follow these steps to identify what export limit is active and whether it needs to be changed.
Locate your G98 or G99 approval from your network operator (usually a PDF letter). Find the line that specifies the maximum export limit — it will say something like 'Maximum export: 0 kW' or 'Maximum export: 4 kW'. This is your hard legal limit and cannot be exceeded without a written variation from the DNO.
Log in to your inverter portal or app. Navigate to Settings → Network Settings, Grid Control, or similar (naming varies by brand). Look for a field labelled Export Limit, Export Restriction, Export Max, or Import/Export Control.
Note the value shown — it may be 0W, 200W, 1000W, or a percentage. Compare this to your DNO approval. If the inverter limit is lower than the DNO allows, this is worth investigating.
Turn on a kettle (2–3 kW load) and immediately watch your portal's grid import reading. It should rise sharply to 2,000–3,000W. If the reading falls, stays flat, or behaves unexpectedly, the CT clamp is likely reversed.
A reversed CT clamp will cause the export limiting logic to misbehave. Fix the CT clamp first before investigating other export limit issues.
Open your portal and look at a clear sunny day from the past week. Check the generation graph and the export graph side by side.
Example: if generation peaked at 4 kW, export peaked at 0.2 kW, and house consumption was only 0.3 kW, then approximately 3.5 kW was curtailed. This suggests the export limit is set much lower than it should be, or the limit is being triggered incorrectly.
Most portals have an event log or alarm log. Search for entries containing 'export', 'curtail', 'limit', or 'restrict'. Look at timestamps during times when you expected the system to export but it didn't.
Messages like 'Export limit active', 'Curtailing to 0.2 kW', or 'Export restriction enforced' confirm that the export limit is being actively enforced. Note the times and compare them to your generation and consumption.
On hybrid systems with a battery, check whether the export limit is preventing the battery from charging from the grid or discharging to export. Review the event log during times when you set the battery to charge or discharge.
If you see export limit messages while the battery is trying to charge, the export limit may be misconfigured or interacting poorly with the battery mode. This often requires an engineer to reconfigure the control parameters.
Example: DNO approval says 4 kW, but inverter is set to 200W. You can increase the inverter setting to the DNO maximum (4 kW in this example). This is a simple configuration change in the inverter settings. You do not need to contact the DNO.
Action: Raise the inverter export limit to match your DNO approval.
Your DNO has specified zero export — no power can leave your property and go to the grid. All generated power must be used locally (house loads or battery charging). This is a hard limit set by the network operator.
You cannot change this yourself. Your only option is to contact your network operator and request a variation to the G98/G99 approval to allow export. This usually requires a new network study and formal written consent.
Action: Contact your DNO (details on your approval letter) to request a variation and higher export limit.
Some systems need to operate below the DNO maximum due to grid instability in your area. Your installer may advise a lower limit. Or you may have received a letter from your DNO requesting a lower limit.
Action: Follow the DNO's written instruction and adjust the inverter export limit to their requested value. Do not exceed the DNO's specified maximum.
A remote diagnostic reviews your portal data live — confirms what export limit is configured, what your DNO approval permits, and exactly what needs adjusting. We'll tell you whether you need DNO permission or if it's a simple settings change.
We use cookies to measure traffic and improve our ads — including sharing limited, hashed details with Meta (Facebook) and Google to measure ad performance. Accept, or decline for essential cookies only. Privacy policy
