Plug-In Solar FAQs

When us Brits were told we could start buying solar panels from the supermarket middle aisle, the big question was ‘How Much?’. A few months on, more serious questions are bubbling away. 

Plug-in solar gives occupants a way of generating low levels of electrical output by attaching arrays to vertical surfaces. A safer alternative to attempting a do-it-yourself PV installation.

If you missed this story, laws are changing so consumers can buy small PV arrays with a standard three pin plug and micro-inverter to set up at home.

Just hang the panels outside and you become the proud owner of a microgeneration unit without the need for professional installation or certificates.

Sounds ideal if you can’t afford ‘proper’ PV, or if you live in a mid-floor flat without a roof.

Now the dust has settled, a growing number of landlords and Housing Associations are concerned about the safety aspect. I’m not implying a tenant would dangle their new panels from a bedroom window like they were an ill-fitting flag, but it’s not beyond impossibility.

Legal teams are already updating rental and leasehold contracts to ban their use. Plug-in PV is quickly finding itself in the same category as e-bike chargers, unauthorised garden furniture and pets.

❓ Are they actually dangerous, or is this precaution because of the unknown?

This report, recently published by DESNZ, may allay some fears.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a32bfea0bea238415c9a1c0/Plug-in-solar-PV-study.pdf

It says plug-in PV is stable and safe in test conditions with no faults and no issues with safety cut-outs. The testers also concluded the wiring in our houses should be quite comfortable with the reverse flow of power.

But it does acknowledge that Mr Timms of Greenock Road might not use the unit as per testing conditions, and has made nine recommendations that include:

⚡ Setting out safety standards

⚡ Providing consumer guidance

⚡ Defining an upper limit of generation.

A saying from my previous life (in festivals) springs to mind.. anything can be a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

For landlords it's all about risk management. Do they trust tenants to use plug-in PV sensibly to reduce running costs, or do they apply an outright ban on their properties until they're convinced otherwise?

Some other questions I’ve seen recently:

❓ How powerful are plug-in PV systems?

Based on products in mainland Europe, a single unit can generate up to 800 watts of power. These same countries have set a maximum limit of 800 watts per household, so maybe the UK will also draw a line here. That's TBC.

❓What impact will plug-in PV have on SAPs and EPCs

In a word, zero. SAP methodology ignores anything that’s plugged in to a three pin socket. This falls into the black hole of ‘unregulated’ energy.

This means EPCs won’t recognise them either.

But maybe the new Home Energy Model will provide more flexibility when EPC Reform is rolled out. This kind of technology is what the new Smart Readiness metric is designed for.

We should receive some clarify on EPC Reform in the autumn.