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Guidance for plug in solar for Electricians

Alan B

We are now a few days from plug in solar being legal. The likes of Martin Lewis is recommending people should ask an electrician to check their installation before plugging a solar system in.

I have seen various comments referring back to changes in the law and changes to the specification for a 13A plug.

But I haven't seen any guidance from IET, NAPIT or NICEIC for electricians stating under what conditions it's acceptable to plug one of these systems in.

Personally as it stands today based on what I have seen I would not be willing to say iny installation is acceptable unless it was a single socket on it's own circuit protected by a bidirectional type A RCBO. Which I am sure isn't what the government wants.

Have I missed something, is something in the pipline?

I know lots of people will just do it, but in those situations I am not responsible.

Parents
  • 0

    I doubt if most people will bother asking.  Why would they?

    If they are type approved, the new "balcony" solar inverters are intended to be plugged into any convenient socket on any socket circuit, whatever type of RCD is protecting it.

    So the only question you should need to ask is "is your new solar system type approved for use in the UK?"

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  • 0

    I doubt if most people will bother asking.  Why would they?

    If they are type approved, the new "balcony" solar inverters are intended to be plugged into any convenient socket on any socket circuit, whatever type of RCD is protecting it.

    So the only question you should need to ask is "is your new solar system type approved for use in the UK?"

Children
  • 0 in reply to Simon Barker

    I can't believe a type ac rcd will be considered safe with solar connected.

  • 0 in reply to Alan B
    Alan B said:
    I can't believe a type ac rcd will be considered safe with solar connected

    Perhaps a better query will become "Just how dangerous is that, in reality?", given the number that are likely to be installed on circuits without such additional shock protections?

    We are in a bit of a cleft stick, between a rock and a hard place, on the need to decarbonise much faster than we currently are. This years heat wave is nothing special. Some hard and awkward choices were needed.

    We'll probably have the same discussions next year for battery storage with these and similar units.

    The more awkward discussion is between electrician and customer who actually asked for their circuits to be checked for whom the reduction in electric bills is critical (poverty), and spending all the savings on an upgrade is the last thing they want.

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