5 ms·

The UK previously didn't allow small plug in solar panels (the kind that you just plug in to a mains socket) due to, I believe, safety reasons. This has changed

by cjrp 7mo ago

The UK previously didn't allow small plug in solar panels (the kind that you just plug in to a mains socket) due to, I believe, safety reasons. This has changed within the last few days https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/solar-roadmap/ https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/solar-roadmap/

mytailorisrich 7mo ago
It hasn't changed... yet. The media noise is because the government has announced that they were reviewing current rules with the aim of allowing "balcony solar" by the end of the year.
lazyasciiart 7mo ago
I believe it’s only legal in Utah so far in the US: they legislated it last year, and apparently half the country is expected to pass a copy-paste version in their next sessions
- TYPE_FASTER 7mo ago
  Current state by state status (not my site): https://pluginsolarusa.com https://pluginsolarusa.com
t0mas88 7mo ago
There is a real safety issue with plug-in solar panels and plug-in batteries. Things go wrong if other loads are on the same circuit, which is almost unavoidable with a plug-in system. Consider a circuit in a home, designed to carry 16A like a common EU/UK circuit, protected by a 16A breaker. Then plug in solar or a battery that delivers just a small 10A. Now in case some other thing on that circuit draws 26A, the breaker doesn't stop it and the circuit is overloaded. If that same solar was installed as a fixed setup on its own circuit with no other loads on it, it would be safe and protected by the 16A breaker in the switchboard. It's the combination with other loads that causes issues.
- jamescrowley 7mo ago
  My understanding is that is why they are limiting to 800w (~4A) at least in the UK's BS 7671 Amendment, which they consider well within the designed safety margins.
  - adrianmonk 7mo ago
    Hopefully nobody thinks "I'll save even more if I get two!" and plugs them both into the same circuit. Perhaps they could somehow detect each other and shut off.
    - cenamus 7mo ago
      I think that's the reason why the total allowed panel power is only 800W, any more than that and you have to get it properly installed. At least that's ~ the way it is in Austria, it's also pretty easy to check whether you have ~800 or way more hanging on off your balcony.
  - globular-toast 7mo ago
    Ah yes, the good old "let's eat into the safety margins". This is why our motorways no longer have hard shoulders. OK, so cars break down less now. What justification is there for eating into electrical margins? The wiring in people's houses isn't getting any younger. And we still use the ridiculous ring system even in new builds in 2026.
    - jamescrowley 7mo ago
      Estimates suggest they could save U.S. consumers billions of dollars a year in electricity costs, while potentially offsetting thousands of megawatts of demand (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960148116310035 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09601...) Plus it increases equity because this primarily opens up solar for those in rented accommodation and apartments/flats who otherwise couldn't access it. Personally that feels well worth pursuing if it's deemed safe.
Moldoteck 7mo ago
Plugin solar doesn't make much impact anyway even in Germany because of shades/angles and most of the time- no storage. Rooftop is another discussion
- adrianN 7mo ago
  My balcony solar produced an average of 5kWh per day in the last month. That is about as much as I consume.
  - Moldoteck 7mo ago
    and did you consume it when it was produced?
    - adrianN 7mo ago
      I guess I consume most of it. There are 4kWh of batteries connected to the panels. I set my dishwasher and my washing machine to run when production is high.
      - Moldoteck 7mo ago
        so you have a ±2k eur battery on top of probably 1.6Kw solar modules costing about 1k eur, attached to balcony and generating about 5kwh/day? And probably with very nice sun conditions because otherwise you'd need more solar. Now let's take french household prices per kwh of 25ct/kwh. It means at 5kwh/day consumption the bill would be 450eur/y. So a 3k investment in this case would pay for itself in 6-7 years. For a german household with highest prices in EU payback would be in about 4y assuming 40ct/kwh But realistically many will not even buy a bess not being able to capture all solar output and many will have worse solar conditions. I'm not sure balcony solar in Germany generates even 1% of total solar production in the country despite streamlined installation process
        adrianN 7mo ago
        The batteries where 800€, the panels about 400 and the inverter I think around a hundred (all from Amazon). All the stuff I needed to attach the panels to the balcony and the cables where surprisingly expensive.

by cjrp 7mo ago

mytailorisrich 7mo ago

It hasn't changed... yet. The media noise is because the government has announced that they were reviewing current rules with the aim of allowing "balcony solar" by the end of the year.

lazyasciiart 7mo ago

I believe it’s only legal in Utah so far in the US: they legislated it last year, and apparently half the country is expected to pass a copy-paste version in their next sessions

TYPE_FASTER 7mo ago
Current state by state status (not my site): https://pluginsolarusa.com https://pluginsolarusa.com

t0mas88 7mo ago

There is a real safety issue with plug-in solar panels and plug-in batteries. Things go wrong if other loads are on the same circuit, which is almost unavoidable with a plug-in system. Consider a circuit in a home, designed to carry 16A like a common EU/UK circuit, protected by a 16A breaker. Then plug in solar or a battery that delivers just a small 10A. Now in case some other thing on that circuit draws 26A, the breaker doesn't stop it and the circuit is overloaded. If that same solar was installed as a fixed setup on its own circuit with no other loads on it, it would be safe and protected by the 16A breaker in the switchboard. It's the combination with other loads that causes issues.

jamescrowley 7mo ago
My understanding is that is why they are limiting to 800w (~4A) at least in the UK's BS 7671 Amendment, which they consider well within the designed safety margins.
- adrianmonk 7mo ago
  Hopefully nobody thinks "I'll save even more if I get two!" and plugs them both into the same circuit. Perhaps they could somehow detect each other and shut off.
  - cenamus 7mo ago
    I think that's the reason why the total allowed panel power is only 800W, any more than that and you have to get it properly installed. At least that's ~ the way it is in Austria, it's also pretty easy to check whether you have ~800 or way more hanging on off your balcony.
- globular-toast 7mo ago
  Ah yes, the good old "let's eat into the safety margins". This is why our motorways no longer have hard shoulders. OK, so cars break down less now. What justification is there for eating into electrical margins? The wiring in people's houses isn't getting any younger. And we still use the ridiculous ring system even in new builds in 2026.
  - jamescrowley 7mo ago
    Estimates suggest they could save U.S. consumers billions of dollars a year in electricity costs, while potentially offsetting thousands of megawatts of demand (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960148116310035 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09601...) Plus it increases equity because this primarily opens up solar for those in rented accommodation and apartments/flats who otherwise couldn't access it. Personally that feels well worth pursuing if it's deemed safe.

Moldoteck 7mo ago

Plugin solar doesn't make much impact anyway even in Germany because of shades/angles and most of the time- no storage. Rooftop is another discussion

adrianN 7mo ago
My balcony solar produced an average of 5kWh per day in the last month. That is about as much as I consume.
- Moldoteck 7mo ago
  and did you consume it when it was produced?
  - adrianN 7mo ago
    I guess I consume most of it. There are 4kWh of batteries connected to the panels. I set my dishwasher and my washing machine to run when production is high.
    - Moldoteck 7mo ago
      so you have a ±2k eur battery on top of probably 1.6Kw solar modules costing about 1k eur, attached to balcony and generating about 5kwh/day? And probably with very nice sun conditions because otherwise you'd need more solar. Now let's take french household prices per kwh of 25ct/kwh. It means at 5kwh/day consumption the bill would be 450eur/y. So a 3k investment in this case would pay for itself in 6-7 years. For a german household with highest prices in EU payback would be in about 4y assuming 40ct/kwh But realistically many will not even buy a bess not being able to capture all solar output and many will have worse solar conditions. I'm not sure balcony solar in Germany generates even 1% of total solar production in the country despite streamlined installation process
      - adrianN 7mo ago
        The batteries where 800€, the panels about 400 and the inverter I think around a hundred (all from Amazon). All the stuff I needed to attach the panels to the balcony and the cables where surprisingly expensive.