Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@neil Once they start producing kits that manage to get certification, yes. No idea how long that will take. Every one that was tested recently failed on electromagnetic emissions, probably because manufacturers cheaped out on component selection and sheilding.

I've just picked up 8 failed inverters to repair (for a different project) and add extra protection to. All blown mosfets that failed short and pulled maximum current from batteries. Not ideal.

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@neil The big problem is that non certified kit won't be covered by home insurance. The risk of fires is reduced without battery storage but if a fire is traced back to non certified kit then people could lose everything.

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@geoffl That doesn't sound great

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@neil@scare.me.uk @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk

AFAIK, as of today, no certified kits are listed on the ENA register.

https://plugsolarhub.co.uk/ena-g98-type-test-register

[ross@crikey.social]

@neil @geoffl It seems like a pretty firm set of regulations. You have to buy a “kit”. The whole kit needs to be approved. There’s a lot you still can’t do.

This is where you can see approvals: https://connect-direct.energynetworks.org/device-databases/search-gen?device_type_id=14

This site is an excellent overall tracker: https://4billionyearson.org/plug-in-solar-uk

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@neil No, it's not. I know several people who already use plug in solar, at their own risk, but all have a solid working knowledge of mains electrical installations and electronics.

Best for everyone else to wait for certified devices to appear on the ENA G98 Type Test Register.

There's a live tracker here - https://plugsolarhub.co.uk/ena-g98-type-test-register

Edit: Better, up to date list here - https://connect-direct.energynetworks.org/device-databases/search-gen?device_type_id=14

[edbo@mastodon.social]

@theolodian @neil that's really annoying if batteries aren't included, I couldn't see that on the link but is there another source which confirms that?

I was really hoping to get a Fox ESS Miniqube once they were allowed to sell them.

[edavies@functional.cafe]

@theolodian @neil Exactly - the system is set up on the assumption that everybody is as ignorant and unimaginative as an MP.

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@neil@scare.me.uk @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk

If this one is the actual live register, then it looks like one company has recently got approval for their plug-in-solar kits.

(If using a mobile browser you might need to use desktop view to see the relevant information.)

https://connect-direct.energynetworks.org/device-databases/search-gen?device_type_id=14

[slothrop@chaos.social]

@neil Great news!

Our experience here in Germany suggests that the decision whether to install these systems is a no-brainer. Recently, one of the discount supermarkets here had 2 panels + inverter for sale for 205€.

At current prices, they should pay for themselves in 4-5 years, even under conservative assumptions.

Germany recently updated the rules so that renters don’t need the landlord’s permission to install panels - that’s helpful too.

[capnthommo@c.im]

@neil I've already got solar on the boat and even I'm considering supplementing it with a plug in for a bit extra

[ret@furry.engineer]

@neil and just like that, the whining of a million electricians and their electrical trade bodies began.

[theolodian@mastodon.social]

@edavies @neil yep, no one should be having any ideas, certainly not ones above their station!

(MPs are just puppets anyway. I’m not saying that it’s lizard people, but MPs mainly parrot what they are told by someone else behind the scenes. ‘Media training’)

🦾🥷

[mikefromlfe@cupoftea.social]

@geoffl @neil@scare.me.uk @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
That's not going to stop Amazon and AliExpress selling dodgy kits to the uninformed (or the partly-informed)

[radieschen@climatejustice.social]

@slothrop which discounter had those?

[glaskows@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@neil This is good news. The cynical in me finds it weird that the timing coincides with the advent of so many data centers. Maybe is a way to liberate some grid capacity or prepare people for higher bills?

Anyways, more solar is always good regardless.

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@slothrop

> 2 panels + inverter for sale for 205€.

Nice!

[slothrop@chaos.social]

@radieschen Netto, I believe.

The supermarket chain hardly matters; I expect these things all come from the same 3 factories in China, regardless of the label on the box.

[julianlawson@beige.party]

@neil Thanks for the info.

Dumb question to more knowledgeable people: how does the "plug in" bit work?

Does it mean the solar panel has sockets that you plug your devices directly into (and your Xbox turns off if the sun goes in, assuming no battery), or that it plugs in to your domestic mains and reduces the power draw from the external grid?

[slothrop@chaos.social]

@neil 2-3 years ago, we paid 700€ for the same thing. Not sure we’ll ever break even.

On the other hand, it’s the least stressful technology I’ve ever used. Screw in the fasteners, hang the panels, plug them in, and you’re done. Takes an hour, if that much.

From then on, you just get a bit of free power whenever there’s enough sun. No further effort needed.