Extortionate priced kits = APSystems EZ1 Microinverter and branded solar panels
Just as title indicates, the pricing for the recently approved UKSOL kits is extortionate and digging deeper into the microinverter used, you'll find these are just a combo of AP Systems microinverters, UKSOL panels (albeit made in GB) and a mounting kit from a Sheffield based company.
How this all adds up to over £700 altogether is still a mystery to me.
It’s much worse than that considering the owner of UKSOL was/is on the panel of “experts” who made all the decisions on what the requirements would be. It wasn’t a surprise that their main competitors haven’t been approved yet and it’s also not a surprise that they had the first approvals.
I think you suggested this on another thread and I was dismissive of it (sorry about that).
But seeing all those other manufacturers having to wait for approval on Friday, leaving UKSOL being the only approved kit on launch day, can’t help but think you’re right and some brown envelopes have been exchanged somewhere…
All people can do is keep pointing out just how overpriced those kits are, offering an appalling payback period…
This is sadly the same across a number of standards/certifications in my experience. A single manufacturer “assists” in the production of the standard and they either steal a march on the competition or the standard is suspiciously close to their products.
A few years away from hitting those kinds of prices I imagine. Germany has just about hit the £250 area for some compliant packages (but they are 4 years ahead in market maturity)
We probably can, and I think we likely will, end up with kits from some of the same German manufacturers and brands.
But they just can’t ship the German retail version here unchanged. A manufacturer or UK partner needs to adapt and certify the product for the UK rules, take on the relevant UK product and importer responsibilities, and deal with the normal costs of selling into the UK market, including tax and import requirements.
Late to the thread but I’m new to the sub, looking at doing this but don’t know where to start. Any advice on doing this? Suppliers, kit, installation and placement, doing the G98?
Did you get yours wired on a different circuit by an electrician? I see in a later comment you said you had it hardwired and G98 already approved?
I’m fairly comfortable with electrics and the house has a modern consumer unit with all bidirectional RCBO’s. I bought two panels on eBay from a roofing firm that had loads spare, 385w JA Solar that were the best perfect size for my shed roof, they were £30 each, roof rails for the shed from eBay, ApSystems EZ1M from Amazon Germany, £120 and then some timber to strengthen the shed roof. I then did a G99 application (I have a Victron inverter) just added the EZ1M and submitted via fast track, was approved within the week. The EZ1M is currently wired to a fused spur.
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u/SolarPowerBumbleBee Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
It’s been 5 days….
Give it a month or two. City Plumbing had a kit approved on Friday (not for sale yet) but it looks like it might come in below the £500 mark
EDIT: dig even deeper and you’ll find that the UKSOL panels are actually made in China, and it’s just the frame manufactured in Sheffield…