The units proposed are safe, in the fact that they need mains to work. So if you pull the plug you don't have live pins in your hand, and similarly if you have a mains outage, you cannot feed back into the mains to give some guy working on the circuit a shock. I am going to install one of these units, but have questions, particularly for the IET, as they may have had an input with government discussions. As a DIY person will be able to plug these in, there will have been no qualified person involved, so :- You will still need to fill out a G98 as you are connecting to the network. The present G98 needs qualification details from the Electrician installing it. Will this form be changed to allow an unqualified person to apply. 

Once you get the form at apply for a  DNO, will you be able to apply for export payment. Presently not allowed unless installed by a MCS certified Electrician, but of course it won't be. The rules say you can't export without these forms, but once plugged in, you will export on a nice day. My base load is only around 350w, and I fully expect to get 750w from my proposed set up. Can anyone in the know, let me know what the new proposals are going to be. Thanks

mapj1 said:

the official BSI  list is here )

That is interesting as it does not list 

PAS 63100:2024

Sergio Fernandez said:

That is interesting as it does not list 

PAS 63100:2024

There are a number of PASs not listed ... the reason for this is, if you look at the file properties, it was created in 2017, and is therefore cannot be current and comprehensive !

gkenyon said:

There are a number of PASs not listed

Including PAS 0, which became available in 2012.

Maybe it would be prudent for the BSI to have an up to date list of PAS documents and another which are for Public Consult?.

You can browse the BSI Library here for current PASs. (There seems to be no option to put them in numerical order.)

mapj1 said:

you need to buy to read it

Not sure about that. Clicking on a faintly random sample gives me a price of zero.

Chris Pearson said:

Not sure about that.

They are not all free. PAS 0 is free (so is BS 0). 

Here is one that's definitely not free: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/pas-128-underground-utility-detection-verification-and-location-specification

And another: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/professional-inspection-maintenance-cleaning-and-restoration-of-textile-floor-coverings-code-of-practice

I believe that many of the ones that are free are sponsored by government departments.

As a collective we know Balcony Solar PV(Other names/terms are available) is on the imminent horizon.  We know that they are being termed as an appliance rather than a small GenSet.  Therefore the issue we have is

 - Does BS7671 AMD 3 or 4 cover it properly….No
 - Does BS1363 3 pin UK plug cover it properly….No.  In fact states no GenSet
 - Does BS1362 fuse cover it properly….No
 - Do a PAS or similar cover it properly….No
 - Do the Fire Service sit on JPEL64 to advise….I am unsure
 - Should the Fire Service sit on JPEL64 and advise on Balcony Solar PV before it becomes an issue like Loft battery storage or E-Scotters.  In my opinion Yes
 - Should the Insurance Industry sit on JPEL64 and advise in some capacity on Balcony Solar PV before it becomes an issue like Loft battery storage or E-Scotters.  In my opinion Yes
 - If it is SOLD as DIY Balcony Solar PV then there is nothing to make ME check the CU or the whole installation vs an MCS/BS7671AMD4/PAS6300 approved roof install by a competent electrical engineer.

It is my honest opinion that we need some rules/regulations/guidance/product standard in place for UK Balcony Solar PV sooner rather than later.

They are not sold with a battery pack, and as these are in the region of £2K, the market is not aimed at that. It is a basic starter kit with just panels and inverter.

but, these are available now and £1200 for the single battery model and falling. 

https://sunvault.co.uk/jet-greenark-pro-balcony-solar-battery-storage
Note the bit about plug in only and no electrician needed ...

"

Mike.

but, these are available now and £1200 for the single battery model and falling. 

https://sunvault.co.uk/jet-greenark-pro-balcony-solar-battery-storage
Note the bit about plug in only and no electrician needed ...

"

Mike.

mapj1 said:

Plug-and-play, no electrician required

as it stands in the UK at the moment that could/should be

Plug and Pray

Interesting they describe LiFePO as being:

advanced semi-solid-state battery, which eliminates the flammable liquid electrolyte found in conventional batteries.

•  Zero Fire Risk – No thermal runaway, even under extreme conditions

•  No Smoke or Toxic Fumes – Safe for indoor and balcony installation

AJJewsbury said:

Interesting they describe LiFePO as being:

Interesting indeed. I believe all the Electrical Energy Storage System fires we know about, that have occurred here in the UK, have been Lithium Iron Phosphate ... I don't put that at a zero risk of fire!

Just because sales and marketing state something, it does not mean it is fact.  Take the GrenFell tragedy as an example.

Well no more so than a slew of other dangerous things folk routinely plug into their sockets already (those series connected outdoor fairy lights come to mind, and the not quite CE compliant phone charger that catch light with depressing regularity perhaps). 

I think we need to realize this is already happening and will happen more,  legal or not, and rather like main dealers wondering why folk buy second hand cars when new ones are so expensive, there will be a need for DNOs and disgruntled MCS installers  to make the best of things whatever happens.

If 'installation' t really has to be notified to anyone at all, there will need to be a less than 3 minute  un-notification process as well, so that when you fold it up and take it with you the registration does not persist at the wrong address. You might for example take it with you on a ten day self-catering holiday to save on the  bill at the caravan park, same as you might bring your own tinned food and 4g internet hub. 

Its probably simpler and more reliable not to bother too much at all, and just fix up only where it goes wrong.

Mike

gkenyon said:

I believe all the Electrical Energy Storage System fires we know about, that have occurred here in the UK, have been Lithium Iron Phosphate ..

That's interesting (worrying even) - there seem to have been a range of chemistries available in domestic BESS systems (e.g. table 2 of https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f761b828fa8f55e33275cfc/domestic-battery-energy-storage-systems.pdf) and the withdrawn LGChem ones seem to have included Cobalt oxide so might have been LCO or NMC but can't have been LiFePO. If all the fires have been LiFePO but only some of the systems were, that might suggest either some people have been very lucky or we're missing a trick somewhere...

   - Andy.

I'd really like to see the evidence that all the EESS fires you know about contained LiFePo4 chemistry cells. Especially as you were responsible for heading the team that created PAS63100.

I smell a rat with Graham Kenyon's comment. I've already found a battery fire in Nottinghamshire that was caused by a short circuit in the NMC cells used in the BESS.

Steve Nixon76 said:

I've already found a battery fire in Nottinghamshire that was caused by a short circuit in the NMC cells used in the BESS.

Please could you share the details. It's not easy to gather this information. Many domestic fires seem to be recorded as Solar or just 'electrical' ... we need more granularity of recording.

Public knowledge regarding the LiFePO4 fires.All grid-scale. These are the ones that seem to be easier to track. 

gkenyon said:

Please could you share the details. It's not easy to gather this information. Many domestic fires seem to be recorded as Solar or just 'electrical' ... we need more granularity of recording.

Ah found it ... relatively new fire, 1 May: https://www.ess-news.com/2026/05/07/exclusive-short-circuit-in-nmc-batteries-caused-fire-at-uk-bess-project/

It's an older system ...  and wouldn't align with current guidance (double-stacked).

Not seen a report on that yet.

Before this one, Carnegie Road in Liverpool, plus some newer grid-scale. All relatively new when the fire happened (at least one not yet commissioned). Issues with the lithium iron phosphate appear to be arc faults at cell level, probably due to a manufacturing defect - still pretty serious fires, though.

Steve Nixon76 said:

I'd really like to see the evidence that all the EESS fires you know about contained LiFePo4 chemistry cells. Especially as you were responsible for heading the team that created PAS63100

The working group responsible for PAS 63100 did not have any special or privileged access to specific information not already in the public domain. DESNZ have published various reports.