Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
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@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.
@geoffl That doesn't sound great
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@neil@scare.me.uk @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
AFAIK, as of today, no certified kits are listed on the ENA register.
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It seems likely, given the companies involved, that now it is legal to sell them, they will start to be sold?
@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
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@geoffl That doesn't sound great
@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
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@neil not batteries, not zero VAT, and not covered by your home insurance. Definitely do 2 panels and a micro inverter if you can though!
We are VERY happy with our ‘plug-in’ solar system with 4 panels and a battery that we had professionally installed earlier this year. The VAT savings covered half of the labour costs, it is covered by their liability insurance, and I wasn’t the one lugging massive panels around!
@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.
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@edavies @neil my community wind farm, my non-MCS solar and my non-MCS a2a heat pump are the embodiment of the unwashed masses.
(I pay income tax on the wind farm, I don’t get paid for export for my solar, and I can’t remove my leaky 30yo gas boiler because then our house isn’t legally heated and liveable space.)
@theolodian @neil Exactly - the system is set up on the assumption that everybody is as ignorant and unimaginative as an MP.
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@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
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Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
Hopefully this reduces the barrier to people getting solar at home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-can-save-as-plug-in-solar-panels-come-to-market
@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.
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Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
Hopefully this reduces the barrier to people getting solar at home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-can-save-as-plug-in-solar-panels-come-to-market
@neil I've already got solar on the boat and even I'm considering supplementing it with a plug in for a bit extra
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Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
Hopefully this reduces the barrier to people getting solar at home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-can-save-as-plug-in-solar-panels-come-to-market
@neil and just like that, the whining of a million electricians and their electrical trade bodies began.
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@theolodian @neil Exactly - the system is set up on the assumption that everybody is as ignorant and unimaginative as an MP.
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@neil@scare.me.uk @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
AFAIK, as of today, no certified kits are listed on the ENA register.
@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) -
@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.
@slothrop which discounter had those?
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Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
Hopefully this reduces the barrier to people getting solar at home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-can-save-as-plug-in-solar-panels-come-to-market
@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.
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@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.
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@slothrop which discounter had those?
@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.
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Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
Hopefully this reduces the barrier to people getting solar at home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-can-save-as-plug-in-solar-panels-come-to-market
@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?
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@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.
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Plug-in solar panels are now legal in Great Britain!
Hopefully this reduces the barrier to people getting solar at home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-can-save-as-plug-in-solar-panels-come-to-market
@neil very annoying this excludes battery storage! But finally some positive movement.. hurrah!
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@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?
Panels --> inverter --> plug inverter into a mains socket.
Quite incredible really, IMHO!
🥷
