Executive Summary

• As of 27 August, plug-in solar is on sale in the UK, with Amazon, Argos, Curry’s and Wickes all committing to stocking panels
• Various companies have reacted and released news following the launch, with OVO offering a full plug-in solar offering in the coming months
• “Plug-in solar opens up clean energy to a much bigger audience and that’s why we are so excited that it’s available in the UK from today,” said Scott Duncan, head of domestic exports at OVO Energy

27 August saw plug-in solar panels go on sale in the UK for the first time, with the government saying that households could save up to £110 a year on their bills by installing a kit which produces up to 800W of power.

Amazon, Argos, Curry’s and Wickes have all committed to stocking plug-in solar panels. John Boumphrey, UK & Ireland county manager at Amazon, noted the company’s position as investing in 50 solar and wind projects to date, and added the move was a ‘practical step’ for households. Graham Biggar, Argos managing director, noted that ‘by making this technology more accessible, we’re putting more power in the hands of our customers and helping them explore practical ways to manage energy use at home.’

Those who regularly read Electrical Insight will have known of the launch date, as this publication reported last month that the government had quietly confirmed 27 August after an update to the Plugs and Sockets Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 legislation.

Alongside this, the government also published data showcasing regional solar installation breakdown for the first time. Nearly 172,000 solar installations have been fitted across the UK since the start of the year, with almost 20,000 rooftop solar panels installed in July alone.

The regional breakdown saw a relatively even split – while the South East has 305,101 installations in total and the East Midlands and North West at 182,606 and 186,253 respectively, this year has seen 22,628 installations in the South East, compared with 15,981 and 15,927 in the East Midlands and North West. Across the top five regions for solar deployment, numbers went up between 13% and 17% for all since last July. Wales and Scotland recorded an 18% and 14% rise respectively.

There was plenty of reaction from across the industry as the launch date arrived. Electrical Safety First issued a guide for households with safety checks, warning of ‘unresolved concerns’ about the potential impact of plug-in solar panels on certain RCDs. The organisation recommended households have at least a Type A bidirectional ECD protecting circuits intended for this use. NICEIC – which has previously noted its own safety concerns about the new product – said it echoed Electrical Safety First’s view that plug-in solar systems may not be suitable for every property and ‘encourage[d] consumers to carefully consider the guidance before making a purchase.’

OVO, meanwhile, has marked the milestone by giving away five plug-in solar kits to its Beyond customers, with the draw closing on 17 September. The company also confirmed it would launch a full plug-in solar offer to customers in the coming months. “Plug-in solar opens up clean energy to a much bigger audience and that’s why we are so excited that it’s available in the UK from today,” said Scott Duncan, head of domestic exports at OVO Energy.

Other companies took the opportunity to position themselves in the slipstream. OurOrb Energy, a provider of digital infrastructure for plug-in solar, announced the launch of its Compliance Hub tools, including an API and an embeddable widget. The goal is to help homeowners by providing a permanent, publicly verifiable proof-of-notification certificate which can then be shared with a solicitor, insurer, or letting agent. Liam Thomas Bolton, founder of OurOrb Energy, said that the company was ‘created for this moment.’

Johannes Pittgens, co-founder and CPO at Capture Energy, a company which aims to intelligently optimise home battery and solar systems, bemoaned that plug-in batteries did not make it, despite being ‘clearly the better deal for consumers.’ Pittgens pointed to a 4 kWh plug-in battery, compared with a 460 W solar panel, costing around the same, yet the former saved around £220 a year when optimised by the company’s Capture AI tool.

“It’s the same price, but the payback speaks for itself and it points to what the system really needs: not more solar generation, but storage that charges up surplus solar and takes demand off the grid during the evening peak,” Pittgens wrote on LinkedIn.

“Is plug-in solar a step in the right direction? Absolutely,” Pittgens added. “But what does it take to let plug-and-play batteries… come to market too?”

Picture credit: Envato