Executive Summary

• Solar & Storage Live UK, in Birmingham this week, saw several announcements around plug-in solar, which has been legal in the UK since August
• For Hoymiles, whose plug-in microinverters aimed to offer households a simple entry point to solar generation, the company sees it as a starting point across a broader residential energy journey
• A survey from Uswitch published last month found a quarter of UK homes were interested in getting plug-in solar panels

At Solar & Storage Live UK in Birmingham this week, many providers were launching new products or marking their entry into the UK market – and plug-in solar, legal in the UK since August, would inevitably be a key area.

Several exhibitors were displaying their offerings, from complete plug-and-play kits, to dummy plug-in batteries, to microinverters and smart energy management hardware. One such example was Hoymiles Power Electronics, whose plug-in microinverters aimed to offer households a simple entry point to solar generation.

The company noted that plug-in solar was not an isolated product category but a potential starting point across a broader residential energy journey.

“Plug-in solar gives more households a simple way to start using solar energy, but energy needs can change over time,” said Guy Rong, vice president at Hoymiles. “We want to provide a clear path from simple solar generation to battery storage and, where needed, complete whole-home energy solutions.”

UKSOL, meanwhile, was also there, alongside Phase Renewables, who became an official UKSOL distributor earlier this year. In a blog post this week Phase offered advice to homeowners and installers alike; households that cannot accommodate rooftop panels can still benefit from a garden or patio installation. “The goal is still the same: match the renewable energy solution to the property and the people using it,” the company wrote.

Phase also emphasised the fact that the current framework only covers compliant plug-in solar – not adding battery storage to the arrangement. The kits are ‘not a shortcut to a plug-in battery system’, as they put it. This was something that Solar & Storage Live put to a spokesperson from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero earlier this month.

The spokesperson confirmed that it remained illegal, but added that work was underway to better understand the safety implications of plug-in batteries. “The government recognises the potential benefits of plug-in batteries and is continuing to review the available evidence,” DESNZ said.

Another issue for installers is understanding where the boundary sits between genuine plug and play installation and work requiring professional involvement. “A suitable electrical installation should include a consumer unit with modern circuit protection such as RCDs, MCBs and RCBOs,” the DESNZ spokesperson said. “Consumers with an older consumer unit or who are unsure about the condition of their electrical installation should seek advice from a qualified electrician before purchasing plug-in solar.”

These launches come amid a survey from Uswitch published last month which found that a quarter of UK homes were interested in getting plug-in solar panels, equating to around seven million households. The survey, which polled 2,000 UK energy bill payers in May, found two in five respondents said ‘rollercoaster’ energy prices had made them more likely to invest in the technology.

Picture credit: Created by Magnific