“Plug-in solar”

The government is about to change the regulations around “plug-in solar”. The idea is that by the end of this year you will be able to go to a supermarket or other retailer and buy a plug-in solar kit, take it home, plug it in and start generating electricity straight away which will supplement the power you are using in your home.

These systems are already common in parts of Europe. For example, in Germany where it is called balcony solar there are already over 1 million households using the technology.

A plug-in solar system normally consists of one or two solar panels and a microinverter. Solar panels generate DC electricity from sunlight, and the kit needs a microinverter which converts solar DC into usable AC electricity for your home. You plug the solar panels into the microinverter and then plug the microinverter into a normal 3 pin socket. The solar panels can be on the ground, on a fence, on a shed roof whatever is easiest for the particular household.

Safety is a major issue here and in order for this to happen wiring and grid connection regulations need changing and all plug-in solar products need to go through a certification process.

The amount of power you get from a plug-in solar system would typically be enough to run a few basic things like lights, TV, computer etc. but would not be sufficient for anything that uses quite a lot of power such as ovens or kettles. Also for safety reasons it is likely that the maximum power you will be allowed to your home via the inverter will be limited to 800W which is the standard in Europe.

The likely savings are anticipated to be c. £150-£200 per year at current electricity prices so whether it makes financial sense depends on the pricing of the plug-in solar kits. It’s likely to be a few years before you would get your money back but then of course you have an on-going annual saving.

Plug-in solar will be an easy to install system that will be accessible to people for whom solar power is difficult at the moment such as people living in flats or renters or anyone who would like to generate some electricity themselves but can’t afford a full blown roof top solar system.

The other important element is that this technology is likely to improve and become more price competitive.

There are a lot of longer term arguments in favour of us all being able to create more of our own electricity. It’s clean energy and the price isn’t impacted by international events. Plug-in solar could be an important element in this debate.