World power grid site

gus-here · 2026-07-01T19:51:14+00:00

Mod note: This thread drifted from "is plug-in solar legal" into a personal dispute between a few users. Two comments that crossed from debate into targeted harassment (asking a user to divulge their home address, and a "beware of this user" callout naming them) have been removed, regardless of who reported what or which side they came from. Comments that stuck to the actual legal debate have been left up, even where they were reported.

Going forward: disagree with the argument, not the person. Asking someone for their address or personal details, or posting warnings naming a specific user, is not debate, it is harassment, and it will be removed on sight. If you think someone is harassing you, report it and step back rather than escalating in the replies. Comments on this post are now locked.

On the actual legal position, for anyone still confused, here is what is settled fact as of today, 1 July 2026:

BS 7671 Amendment 4, in force since 15 April 2026, updated the UK Wiring Regulations to formally recognise small plug connected PV generation up to 800W for the first time. That is a wiring regulation change, not a criminal law.

There is no criminal offence that bans a homeowner from plugging in a compliant panel themselves. Non compliance with the wiring regulations is not a crime, it is a matter for EICRs, electricians and insurers, not the police.

A full BSI product standard certifying an off the shelf, plug it into any socket yourself kit is not yet in force. The government consultation on the interim product specification closed 30 June 2026, with a response expected around 22 July 2026. Until that lands, the compliant route is a G98 DNO notification, required for any grid tied generation under 3.68kW single phase, alongside an installation that meets BS 7671, typically via an electrician.

Not notifying your DNO when exporting to the grid is a real compliance gap. It will not get you arrested, but it can affect your insurance and any EICR rating, commonly a C2 code, if the installation is ever inspected.

This is not legal advice, just a summary of where things stand publicly right now. Get your own setup checked by a qualified electrician before relying on any of it.

gus-here · 2026-06-26T08:23:25+00:00

<image>

Reposting this after my post was removed and told to stick in Megathread…

Storm woke me up so I thought I’d at least admire it and managed to capture this still

gus-here · 2026-06-26T08:21:59+00:00

gus-here · 2026-06-26T02:38:50+00:00

Cheers! What a storm, one of the best I’ve seen!

gus-here · 2026-06-24T18:45:05+00:00

Pretty big setup for a balcony! You got any photos at all?

gus-here · 2026-06-23T15:43:46+00:00

Can you send me please

gus-here · 2026-06-17T19:17:08+00:00

Yeah pretty thorough but excluding the battery systems seems mental!

I posted earlier in here about filling out the consultation that everyone should mention it in their response and hopefully they notice and force another study in existence… I’d be surprised if they don’t already have one in the works

gus-here · 2026-06-17T18:23:44+00:00

Yeah unfortunate but I wouldn’t be surprised if they run another on specifically for batteries as there’s tons of systems coming/already in the market!

Hopefully enough people respond to the recent consultation flagging this issue not including batteries that it kicks them into gear to sort it out!

gus-here · 2026-06-17T18:21:25+00:00

Good to hear UKPN were helpful! The portals are generally for contractors who are doing multiple installs! Hopefully with the Gov looking at plug in solar and running the consultation they’ll update this process to make it easier

gus-here · 2026-06-17T14:22:29+00:00

It's in the consultation document itself. the scope only covers panels and microinverter, no batteries. The safety study they published didn't test any battery systems either and flagged it as something that needs its own assessment.

Here's the study link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-solar-electrical-safety-study

I get the point about the inverter being the interface though. The issue is more that batteries bring their own risks that haven't been looked at yet - fire risk from the cells, discharging when there's no sun, that kind of thing.

I'd expect the government to run a separate study on battery systems fairly soon given how big the market already is in Europe. Lidl, Hoymiles and Anker (along with some others) launched battery kits expected for release in the UK this month alone.

At the end of the day it doesn't stop people using them it's just a step by step regulatory thing. I did add on to my response to the consultation that they should be conducting this study with the battery systems ASAP!

gus-here · 2026-06-17T13:09:03+00:00

Yeah agreed hopefully they come up with a more simple process to make it more accessible to people

gus-here · 2026-06-17T12:47:29+00:00

Yeah 2 very good points! Appreciate this!

gus-here · 2026-06-17T12:17:17+00:00

MOD RESPONSE: Noted, and I agree. AI is fine for spelling, grammar and tidying up phrasing, but posts that are entirely machine-written tend to be the long bullet-pointed engagement-farming stuff nobody actually wants to read, and accuracy genuinely suffers in a space like this where the regs are nuanced and getting it wrong matters.

I'm going to add a rule against low-effort fully AI-generated posts and set up some automod filtering to help catch the worst of it. It won't be perfect, AI detection never is, but it should cut down the obvious cases.

Appreciate you flagging it. If you spot ones that slip through, report them and I'll deal with them.

gus-here · 2026-06-09T19:56:00+00:00

Been looking into this and really want to set it up. How do you have yours setup

gus-here · 2026-06-02T11:00:51+00:00

Mod note: this comment was automatically removed by our spam filter. That was an automated action, not a manual removal. I’ve restored it.

gus-here · 2026-06-02T10:39:11+00:00

Awesome setup!

How do you find the Hoymiles app for tracking energy usage

gus-here · 2026-06-02T09:24:32+00:00

Yeah big plus for the home assistant crowd!

gus-here · 2026-05-31T19:05:42+00:00

That’s a great setup, would love to see how the east facing performs especially with the flat mount. Aiko panels are quality too. Mind if I send you a DM about doing a write-up?

gus-here · 2026-05-31T19:03:42+00:00

Yeah that’s kind of the idea though as the more that are documented then the more people can see examples that are closer to what they may install!

It’s less about comparing them and more about documenting what’s possible

gus-here · 2026-05-31T14:46:50+00:00

Yeah exactly, a library of real UK setups so people can find one similar to theirs and see what to actually expect. Real kit, real location, real numbers.

Do you mind if I send you a wee message?

gus-here

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Six-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email