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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.

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    The only questions are

    1) is it actually dangerous enough to worry ?

    and

    2) considered dangerous by who exactly ?

    Given that missing an RCD altogether is perhaps a C3, depending where, then I cannot see an AC RCD that may or may not work being that much of a big thing,

    RCDs go for years without firing in anger, and some go years without being tested either, and most will go to landfill having never been called upon to save a life. The assumption is that the lives saved by the ones that do pays for the waste of resources that are all the others.

    Here we have to offset against excess deaths from climate change and there is rather more to play for - arguably in that context some increase in risk and some more accidents are a necessary sacrifice, as opposed to a more usual  knee-jerk  'one death is too many, do nothing' 

    Also its plug-in solar, and nothing to do with fixed wiring any more than any other appliance,  so while an electrician may advise that these 2 sockets are on different circuits, the sort of thing that may be worth considering if multiple systems are installed, in many ways the problem of some dangerous product and 'is this wise' is out of scope.

    I did note in another thread that the govt tender is out for the plug in battery consultation, so legislation for that is probably a bit under a year away and will no doubt be equally contentious, though by then plenty will already be installed before the deadline no doubt.

    incidentally the no of plug in solar kits now approved for plug in connection has gone up a bit, but is not exactly many.

    https://connect-direct.energynetworks.org/device-databases/search-gen?device_type_id=14

    Mike. 

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  • 0

    The only questions are

    1) is it actually dangerous enough to worry ?

    and

    2) considered dangerous by who exactly ?

    Given that missing an RCD altogether is perhaps a C3, depending where, then I cannot see an AC RCD that may or may not work being that much of a big thing,

    RCDs go for years without firing in anger, and some go years without being tested either, and most will go to landfill having never been called upon to save a life. The assumption is that the lives saved by the ones that do pays for the waste of resources that are all the others.

    Here we have to offset against excess deaths from climate change and there is rather more to play for - arguably in that context some increase in risk and some more accidents are a necessary sacrifice, as opposed to a more usual  knee-jerk  'one death is too many, do nothing' 

    Also its plug-in solar, and nothing to do with fixed wiring any more than any other appliance,  so while an electrician may advise that these 2 sockets are on different circuits, the sort of thing that may be worth considering if multiple systems are installed, in many ways the problem of some dangerous product and 'is this wise' is out of scope.

    I did note in another thread that the govt tender is out for the plug in battery consultation, so legislation for that is probably a bit under a year away and will no doubt be equally contentious, though by then plenty will already be installed before the deadline no doubt.

    incidentally the no of plug in solar kits now approved for plug in connection has gone up a bit, but is not exactly many.

    https://connect-direct.energynetworks.org/device-databases/search-gen?device_type_id=14

    Mike. 

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