Plug-in Solar supposedly going to be 'easier'?

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

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.

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.

See file called 1758018154544047.pdf.  They also mention Grounding several times which is not really a term used in BS7671

I do understand that North America say  Grounding and PDFUK people say Protective Earthing / Functional Earthing / Bonding

But surely if this is meant for the UK market they should use UK terminology or else we will start seeing phrases like "The Hot Wire" which is their term for Live/Line but to me it sound like any oxymoron as I would never want the wires of an install to be HOT, warm I can understand but not hot.

Hot just means alive, or 'live', while in my day job it either means energized with RF, or radioactive.. 

note we do already do see exactly this US-centric  language in instructions for things like generators that have been translated from the foreign for the UK market -   Hire a big set from Agrekko, and ask for a the  manual and the Cummins or Perkins American data you get sent uses  Ground and grounded, and hot and so on, in practice once you know, there is no problem with understanding it.

It is however worth throwing the makers advice on NE bonding away and doing it properly.

Mike

Sergio Fernandez said:

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

With fixed BESS in mind, I asked my insurers only a few days ago, "Do you impose any restrictions or conditions on solar PV installations please?"

The answer was, "There are no restriction in relation to Solar panels. You would need to ensure that the buildings sum insured is adequate to cover these."

Sergio Fernandez said:

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

With fixed BESS in mind, I asked my insurers only a few days ago, "Do you impose any restrictions or conditions on solar PV installations please?"

The answer was, "There are no restriction in relation to Solar panels. You would need to ensure that the buildings sum insured is adequate to cover these."