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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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  • 0

    The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (2026) have produced a product specification (Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification Version 2.0, July 2026) which outlines the requirements for the PV panels and the respective electrical installation. It's probably a good starting place to have a review of that document.

  • 0 in reply to Spencer Walburn

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a60a03c47af652afa0c89f5/plug-in-solar-final-_interim-product-specification.pdf for those that haven't stumbled on it already.

       - Andy.

  • 0 in reply to AJJewsbury

     Page 25: Anti-islanding and termination of power supply
    An external resistance of greater than 2000 Ω must be applied across the plug pins of the
    mains plug within 40 s after disconnection - this delay allows the inverter to detect loss of
    mains supply. 

    Is that really 40 seconds, or should it be 40ms?

  • 0 in reply to alanblaby

    That does not make sense. Why a resistor? Surely with a loss of supply the anti islanding should kick in and turn off the inverter? 

    JP

  • 0 in reply to John Peckham

    When I was at college doing the C&G2360 Part Two we had a workshop lecturer who did his apprenticeship in a carpet factory and then worked for the MEB and the companies that took over as the local DNO until he retired and was persuaded to come and teach us practical skills in the college workshop.

    He advised us that having carried out the safe isolation procedures to prove an installation or circuit “dead” that we should then put our insulated long nose pliers or something similar across the terminals as a final test, as to quote him “it's better to sacrifice your long nose pliers than your fingers”.

    The resistor in the plug in PV to prove dead is a test as simple and as unsophisticated as shoving your long nose pliers across the pins of the plug in PV 13-amp plug when you pull it out of the socket, it should not be necessary, but it’s a very good idea as it may stop you or someone else getting injured.

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  • 0 in reply to John Peckham

    When I was at college doing the C&G2360 Part Two we had a workshop lecturer who did his apprenticeship in a carpet factory and then worked for the MEB and the companies that took over as the local DNO until he retired and was persuaded to come and teach us practical skills in the college workshop.

    He advised us that having carried out the safe isolation procedures to prove an installation or circuit “dead” that we should then put our insulated long nose pliers or something similar across the terminals as a final test, as to quote him “it's better to sacrifice your long nose pliers than your fingers”.

    The resistor in the plug in PV to prove dead is a test as simple and as unsophisticated as shoving your long nose pliers across the pins of the plug in PV 13-amp plug when you pull it out of the socket, it should not be necessary, but it’s a very good idea as it may stop you or someone else getting injured.

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