What is a solar commissioning report?

It is the signed record of the inspection and electrical tests done when a PV system was first energised, written by the person who did them. IEC 62446-1 sets out the documentation, tests and inspection for grid-connected systems. It is one document inside the wider handover pack.

What does a PV commissioning report contain?

Typically site and system details, a visual inspection record, per-string tests such as polarity, open circuit voltage, string current and insulation resistance, protection and grid checks, instrument details and a signature with the date. The standard sets the exact tests for your system type, so check it.

Solar commissioning report template: where do I find one?

Start from the edition of IEC 62446-1 your scheme names, then use a checklist as a prompt, such as the list in this post. Some schemes publish their own forms, so check the one you work under before adopting a generic template.

Is a commissioning report the same as a handover pack?

No. The report records the tests. The handover pack is what the customer keeps, such as the key parts list, manuals, warranties and servicing schedule, and it usually includes the commissioning results. Send both when both are asked for.

Does Baton produce a solar commissioning report?

No. Baton holds no test data. It records the installed equipment on site, with a checked serial for each unit, and lets you attach your own commissioning and test results to the same handover with a reference and a date.

How does Baton help with the handover pack?

Your crew photographs each nameplate and two unit photos, two AI models read the plate and a person checks manufacturer, model and serial. Baton then makes the register as PDF, Excel and CSV in your own Google Drive, with the PDF showing each unit’s photographs.

Solar commissioning report: what it contains, a checklist, and how it differs from the handover pack

A solar commissioning report is the signed record of the inspection and electrical tests done when a PV system was first energised. A handover pack is the wider set the customer keeps, and the report is one document inside it. Baton holds no test data and writes no report. You attach your own results to the pack Baton builds from the equipment list.

The short answer: two different files, often asked for as one

People type “solar commissioning report” and “solar PV handover pack” as if they meant the same file. They do not. The commissioning report belongs to whoever carried out the tests. The handover pack belongs to the customer and is assembled by the installer. A third file, the as-built set, sits between them and is the one both of the others depend on.

This matters because each reader wants a different thing. An inspector, a grid operator or a grant body wants evidence that the system was tested. A customer or an O&M team wants to know what is on the roof and in the cabinet, who to call and what the warranties cover. Sending the wrong file, or one file where two were asked for, costs a round of emails and sometimes a payment held back.

The top results for this phrase are mostly templates, vendor guides and utility-scale procedures. They list tests well. What they rarely do is separate the report from the pack and the as-built set, say who signs what, or show a small installer how the test results and the equipment list end up in one folder. That is what this page does.

What the standard says a commissioning report is for

IEC 62446-1 is the international standard most often named. The IEC’s own listing says it defines the information and documentation to be handed over to a customer after a grid-connected PV system is installed, together with the commissioning tests, inspection criteria and records used to check that the system is installed safely and works as intended. It is written for designers and installers, and the IEC describes it as usable as a template for customer documentation.

A draft revision, prEN IEC 62446-1:2025, listed by the Estonian standards body, keeps the same scope and adds detail that matters on real jobs. The test regime is meant to fit the scale, type and complexity of the system, so a house roof and a commercial array are not tested the same way. The draft brings systems with a DC-coupled battery into scope and leaves AC-coupled batteries out. It excludes detailed performance validation, which is covered by the IEC 61724 series, and it excludes off-grid systems. It is still a draft, so check which edition your scheme or contract names.

The full text of the standard is paywalled, and the clause-level acceptance values are in it, not here. Treat this page as a map of what to keep and who asks for it, and buy or borrow the standard for the pass and fail limits.

A commissioning checklist you can copy

SurgePV’s published commissioning checklist is a clear practical reference for the order of work and the records. It is a vendor guide, not a standard, so use it as a prompt and check every item against the standard and your scheme. The list below is built from it and from the IEC scope above. Keep each record with the date, the person and the instrument used.

Site, system size, installer and tester details, and the date of energisation.
As-built drawings and the single line diagram, updated for any change made in the field.
Visual inspection record: modules, frames and mounts, cable entries, earthing and bonding, labels and signs including the AC isolation point.
DC tests per string: earth and bonding continuity, polarity, open circuit voltage, string current, functional test and insulation resistance.
AC and grid checks: AC insulation resistance, interface protection settings, disconnection when the grid fails, reconnection when it returns, and the export limit if one applies.
Test report with instrument, results, tester name, signature and date for each section.
Inverter settings recorded, including protection settings, plus monitoring log-in details handed to the owner.
Datasheets, serial numbers and warranty papers for the main equipment.
Grid approval or notification references and any final electrical inspection paperwork the scheme requires.

Commissioning report, handover pack and as-built compared

Most confusion clears once you see the three side by side. The report is evidence about the work. The pack is information for the customer. The as-built set is the drawing record of what was actually installed.

How the three files differ
Aspect	Commissioning report	Handover pack	As-built set
What it records	Inspection and test results at energisation	Everything the customer needs to run, maintain and claim on the system	Drawings and single line diagram of what was built
Who writes and signs it	The person who carried out the tests	The installer, given to the customer	The designer or installer, updated for field changes
Typical contents	Visual checks, string tests, insulation resistance, protection settings, instrument details	List of key parts, safety guidance, servicing schedule, manuals, guarantees and warranties	Layout, string plan, cable routes, single line diagram
Who asks for it	Inspector, scheme body, grid operator, grant body	Customer, O&M team, finance and insurance	Inspector, O&M team, future installers
Where the equipment list fits	Names the equipment tested	Holds the full list with serial numbers	Shows where each unit is

What schemes and operators ask for, by name

The same split appears in official paperwork. In the UK, the MCS Customer Commitment (issue 1.1, September 2026) says the installer provides a handover pack once the installation is complete. As a minimum it contains a list of key parts, health and safety guidance, a recommended servicing and maintenance schedule, the manufacturer’s instruction manuals and all relevant guarantees and warranties. Note what is not named there: the test results are separate evidence, not the definition of the pack.

In Ireland, SEAI’s Solar PV Grant Completion Checklist, Part 3, lists the Inspection, Test and Commissioning Report to EN 62446 as one required document for the grant. It sits beside the Declaration of Works, the Safe Electric (RECI) certificate, the ESB Networks NC6 form, an invoice and a set of installation photographs. A separate list covers what the homeowner receives: datasheets, warranties and an O&M manual.

Grid operators add their own forms. Electricity North West’s 2021 G98 and G99 application guidance says the installer completes G98 Form B and submits it to the network operator within 28 days of commissioning. For G99 generation under 50 kW, Form A3-1 is completed before site commissioning or the witness test, and a generator that is type tested to G98 but not on the ENA register needs Form C as part of the commissioning stage. Use the latest form version from the Energy Networks Association and confirm the route with your operator.

Examples of who asks for which document
Body	Document named	What the source says
MCS (UK)	Handover pack	Minimum contents: key parts list, safety guidance, servicing schedule, manuals, guarantees and warranties
SEAI (Ireland)	Inspection, Test and Commissioning Report (EN 62446)	One required document in Part 3 of the grant completion checklist
Electricity North West (UK)	G98 Form B, G99 Form A3-1, Form C	Form B within 28 days of commissioning; A3-1 before commissioning or witness test under 50 kW; Form C if type tested but not registered
IEC 62446-1	Documentation, commissioning tests and inspection	Information to hand over plus the tests and inspection criteria that check safe installation

Where jobs go wrong, and the fix

The tests themselves are usually done properly, because a signature depends on them. The trouble is in the joins between files. These are the mistakes that cause rejected paperwork or a refused warranty claim later.

Sending the commissioning report when the customer asked for the handover pack. Fix: send both, and say which is which on the covering note.
A single line diagram that does not match what was built. Fix: update it for every field change before the test sheet is signed, and name one person to keep it current.
Test results with no instrument or date. Fix: record the instrument and the date against each section as you test, not afterwards.
The commissioning sheet names one inverter serial and the equipment list names another. Fix: take the serials from a photograph of each nameplate on site, not from a quote or delivery note.
Records kept on one laptop. Fix: store the test sheets, drawings and equipment list in one shared folder for the job.
Assuming one regime fits every job. Fix: check the scale and type of the system against the edition your scheme names, and check whether a DC-coupled battery is in scope.

How a crew and an office use Baton alongside the report

Baton covers the equipment half of the pack, the half that drifts when it is typed up weeks later. Your crew opens a link or scans a QR code and types the 6-digit job code. There is no account and no app to install, and it works with no signal. For each unit they photograph the nameplate, take two photos of the unit and record its condition and where it sits. Any equipment type can be named on site.

Two AI models read every nameplate separately, and a person in your office checks the manufacturer, model and serial against the photo before the handover can be made. Baton then makes the register as PDF, Excel and CSV, saved in your own Google Drive. The PDF shows each unit’s nameplate and unit photographs on its own page, and the Excel and CSV carry a pointer to that page. Warranty dates can be set per category, and the cover carries a sign-off block.

The commissioning report stays yours. You add your test sheets, single line diagram and grid approval in the attachments index with a reference, a date and who issued each one. Baton lists them and does not read them, so the pack holds the checked equipment list and your own test evidence in one place.

What Baton does not do

Baton holds no test or commissioning data and does not produce a commissioning report. It does not issue certificates, file or submit anything to a grid operator or scheme, or guarantee that a pack meets a standard. Whether your tests were complete and passed is a judgement for the person who carried them out and signed them.

If a scheme or operator names a form, fill it in yourself and attach it. Baton records what is on the nameplates and keeps the pack tidy around them.

Quick answers

What is a solar commissioning report?: It is the signed record of the inspection and electrical tests done when a PV system was first energised, written by the person who did them. IEC 62446-1 sets out the documentation, tests and inspection for grid-connected systems. It is one document inside the wider handover pack.
What does a PV commissioning report contain?: Typically site and system details, a visual inspection record, per-string tests such as polarity, open circuit voltage, string current and insulation resistance, protection and grid checks, instrument details and a signature with the date. The standard sets the exact tests for your system type, so check it.
Solar commissioning report template: where do I find one?: Start from the edition of IEC 62446-1 your scheme names, then use a checklist as a prompt, such as the list in this post. Some schemes publish their own forms, so check the one you work under before adopting a generic template.
Is a commissioning report the same as a handover pack?: No. The report records the tests. The handover pack is what the customer keeps, such as the key parts list, manuals, warranties and servicing schedule, and it usually includes the commissioning results. Send both when both are asked for.
Does Baton produce a solar commissioning report?: No. Baton holds no test data. It records the installed equipment on site, with a checked serial for each unit, and lets you attach your own commissioning and test results to the same handover with a reference and a date.
How does Baton help with the handover pack?: Your crew photographs each nameplate and two unit photos, two AI models read the plate and a person checks manufacturer, model and serial. Baton then makes the register as PDF, Excel and CSV in your own Google Drive, with the PDF showing each unit’s photographs.