Data sources and attributions

Every data source minisolar uses, what we use it for, and its licence and attribution: ENA, PVGIS, Ofgem, NESO, postcodes.io, ONS, OS and retailers.

This page lists every source of data on minisolar, what we use it for, and the licence or terms it’s used under. How we process the data is explained in our methodology.

ENA Connect Direct (device register)

What: the Energy Networks Association’s live type-test register, “Plug-in Solar” device type: device references, manufacturers, model descriptions, registered capacity and compliance status.
Used for: the compliance state of every kit, and our device pages.
Where: connect-direct.energynetworks.org
Licence: we haven’t found a published reuse licence for the register data. We’re asking ENA to confirm the terms. Until then, we show register data with attribution to ENA and link to the register so you can check entries yourself.
Attribution: Source: Energy Networks Association, Connect Direct device register.

PVGIS (solar yield)

What: the Photovoltaic Geographical Information System, version 5.3, using PVGIS-SARAH3 radiation data. Monthly output and hourly time series for locations across the UK.
Used for: every yield, savings and payback figure.
Where: PVGIS, European Commission Joint Research Centre
Attribution: PVGIS © European Union. Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC). [exact attribution wording to be confirmed against the PVGIS terms of use]

Ofgem energy price cap

What: the price cap unit rates for single-rate electricity paid by Direct Debit, for each of the 14 GB regions.
Used for: valuing the electricity you use from your panels.
Where: Ofgem: energy price cap standing charges and unit rates by region
Attribution: Source: Ofgem. [reuse licence to be confirmed]

NESO DNO licence areas

What: boundaries of the 14 GB electricity distribution network operator (DNO) licence areas (dataset dated 3 May 2024), simplified for fast lookups.
Used for: working out which network operator region your postcode district and each town are in.
Where: NESO data portal: GIS boundaries for GB DNO licence areas
Licence: NESO Open Data Licence.
Attribution: Contains data from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), licensed under the NESO Open Data Licence. [exact attribution wording to be confirmed against the licence]

postcodes.io, ONS and Ordnance Survey (locations)

What: coordinates for postcode districts (from the ONS Postcode Directory) and for towns (from OS Open Names), looked up through postcodes.io.
Used for: placing your postcode district and our town pages on the map, to get the right yield data and region. We don’t look up Northern Ireland (BT) postcodes.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Attribution:
- Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
- Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026.
- Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.

City Population (town populations)

What: population figures for UK built-up areas and localities, compiled from ONS, NRS and NISRA census and mid-year estimates.
Used for: choosing which towns get their own page.
Where: citypopulation.de: United Kingdom, major cities
Attribution: Source: City Population, citypopulation.de. [reuse terms to be confirmed]

Retailer websites (prices and stock)

What: prices, stock status and lead times, as displayed by each retailer on its own website at the time we check.
Used for: stock and price tables, history, and cost per kWh rankings.
How: we read public product data politely, respect each site’s robots.txt, and don’t get round bot protection. Our checker identifies itself as minisolar-bot with a link to this page and a contact email. If you run a retailer and want us to check less often, use a feed, or stop checking, contact us and we’ll act on it.
Note: product names, prices and trademarks belong to their owners. We don’t display retailers’ product photos.

legislation.gov.uk (the law)

What: the text of UK legislation, such as SI 2026/848.
Used for: our guides and the regulatory claims on the site, which link to the relevant legislation.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Attribution: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Government and regulator publications

Our guides also cite publications from DESNZ, Ofgem, the ENA and network operators. Each guide links to the documents it relies on. Crown copyright material on gov.uk is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.