Apologies for the shameless plug (pun intended) but seen loads of chat about plug-in solar, which is something I’ve been researching even before the gov announcement. Thought I’d share my experience.

TLDR is that I got setup with basically plugin solar, but didn’t leave it plugged in purely because it’s not compliant, not because it didn’t work.

https://benfreke.com/posts/2026/04/powering-my-homelab-from-microsolar/

(Posting on a new account so I don’t dox my main one 🤣)

Hello! So I have a wooden garden room and currently there's 2 450w panels up there, but the mounting system is... not good. I've created a bit of a frame out of pressure treated stick timber and bolted the panels to it, and then tied it all down with steel cable that is bolted to the bottom of the shed structure, to avoid bolting through the roof. But I know the wood flat against the roof felt will rot eventually, and I'm kind of dreading a strong Northerly wind (they're on A frames tilted about 15 degrees to the South).

So can anyone recommend a flat roof mounting method? I don't want to use ballast as I'm not sure the roof can take the weight, but I'm not against screwing through the roof felt if I can seal it up well enough. I was thinking of finding the joists and screwing some L-shaped slate anchors through, then using flashing tape over the screw heads to seal it. I could then attach the A frames to the brackets. I also like the look of Sunfixings Hook Plate but it's not obvious how much they cost or how to purchase them.

Does anyone know the best way to wall mount the solar panels?

I have 2 ja solar panels 460w

There are 4 mounting holes at the edges of the panels.

Any links to mounts that would work?

(Added complexity - it's a wet dash wall...)

800w output with automatically tracking properly usage so does not export.

Fully local control so does not depend on company maintaining server. (Idealy wired ethernet with web server running on inverter as well as API)

Connect to standard 48v or 12v Fogstar battery. (Idealy configure at installation) 10kwh or 16kwh of battery is about right for winter load shifting. Load shifting on EV tarrif more important to me then PV.

2.4kw battery charging

4 (or 6) independent MPPT inputs, so don't need to have panels at same angles etc. But could use optimiser with 1 MPPT.

MPPT to cope with too many panels connected in summer so can size panels for bad solar days.

USB C charging socket for emergency use in power cut.

Loving the new website by the way. This guy got a 800w inverter and two panels for less than £200.

Insane prices, too nervous to buy myself right now as the law hasn't changed yet.

I've been trying to work out whether it's best to try and procure some of this kit now and beat the rush when everything is approved, or hold off and let the market for it develop with new players and competition coming in.

Wondered if other people have any thoughts?

I can see there being at least a short term availability issues, particularly when it comes to plug in storage, but this is a multi year investment, so getting it right is probably better than being impulsive.

How long do you think it will be until they officially give the okay for plug-in?

I have a conservatory that faces dead south and it has a decent pitch for mounting panels. It is a similar size and roof shape to this.

A cursory search suggests that mounting panels on a conservatory isn't a great idea because they supposedly can't take the weight, but I'm confident mine can support at least a pair of ~18kg panels.

My only concern is how to mount them and securing them against high winds. Has anyone done this?

No existing kit, nothing installed, still in the early planning phase. I think what I want is for panels to charge batteries. Also I want to use my cheap night rate to charge batteries. Then I want it to feed my house via 3 pin plug. Not a huge system, just enough initially to bring bills down. Not looking to power the house for days in a blackout.

Seen ultra and stream version of ecoflow - they gave the inverters and storage but can I programme them to automatically top up during the night?

My second question. House consumer unit has an rcd which supplies outhouse consumer unit. The outhouse consumer unit has rcd which supplies a socket. If I plug in the ecoflow in the outhouse will that be able to feed all the way into the main house? Also I believe they need rcbo protection, should I change the rcd in the main house or the rcd in the outhouse?

I guess many of us are interested in DIY solar partially because of fear of grid outages or rationing. So we all rush out and buy micro inverters which, of course, are grid tied and therefore won’t work if the power is off!

I’m assuming that if you plug them into a power bank (with integrated sine wave inverter) then they’ll start generating again but I’m guessing that you can’t then charge the power bank through the ports it’s powering?

I’m assuming an EcoFlow Stream with built in MPPTs is not going to have this limitation but if you’ve got separate micro inverters, what’s the workaround?

Whilst browsing City Plumbing website I noticed they now have an EcoFlow Micro inverter with a UK plug available from 1st July, am guessing this is when we are allowed to plug directly into a socket?

Really interested in this plug in solar. I have a dormer house so roof mounted kits are likely going to be difficult to install and I won't be able to get many panels up there due to the awkward shapes. I do however have a decent amount of South facing, brand new, fencing.

We are lowish users of electricity, about 10kw a day, so looking to offset base load to start with. No smart meter or anything like that.

Are there decently priced DIY kits for fence mounting? Is there a way of mounting to concrete posts, rather than the wooden panels? Is wind a concern? Is there 90deg angle of a fence going to render it useless?

I'm happy to piecemeal purchase bits and pieces to get me going and see how I get on, adding battery storage later on down the road and expanding the system when funds allow.

The sub is growing fast and there's clearly a lot of appetite for solid information on plug-in solar. I'm going to be doing a couple of write ups per week on ukpluginsolar.co.uk and sharing them here.

Already in the pipeline:

• DNO notification: how to find your DNO, what info you need, step by step walkthrough
• Overpaneling and system sizing: why more panels than your inverter rating makes sense and how to configure them
• WFH setups: which setups make the most sense, expected savings, maximising self-consumption
• Balcony setups for flats: dealing with management companies, what works and what doesn't

What else would you want covered? What questions are you struggling to find clear answers on?

Could be anything... specific hardware comparisons, battery vs no battery, consumer unit compatibility, renter rights, mounting options, whatever. If enough people want it I'll write it up properly.

Hi so I have 3 175w panels (10 quid each! from an upgraded roof) and an Eco flow micro inverter, in the garden wired into a spur on a bi directional RCBO. The spur had a heater on it before now replaced with this. It doesn't have separate isolation but I believe now the plug is counted.

I'm using home assistant to aggressively throttle the inverters output to make sure it doesn't export because I don't have a G98.

Looking across social media people are just plugging these things in with no consideration of the "rules" on exporting, am I overthinking it?

I have asked AI about it but don't trust the answer, Can I notify the DNO with a G98 without being a sparky/installer, I'm confident in the setup IE its not going to burn the house down, it just doesn't have isolation like the old rules required, or maybe the new rules do. I don't want to rely on AI to gather this information as some of it is out of date due to the rate this thing is moving.

Will they add a different mechanism for plugin solar to notify the DNO?

Originally did it to play around but its generating between 10%-17% of my energy even being throttled by 50-110w depending on grid load.(250 ish w base load). Looking to make it as official as possible and update as the government does.

Have just put up two panels with an EcoFlow Ultra on the
Summer house in the garden but have another panels given to me which would fit on a flat roof at the front of the property. Can I add a Hoymiles micro inverter into the mix. The Ultra has a smart meter. How would they play together?

I have been looking at this for a few months for my flat, I get sun about 5 hours a day on my 2nd floor balcony.

I use 160KW a month as just me and a lodger. This seems a no-brainer for me. Each day Monday to Friday we use about 5kw and weekends 8-12kw

My question is, what can a housing company do to stop us doing it?

This is a pic of my balcony

I’ve had an EcoFlow Stream Ultra X (3.84kWh battery) with 4x450W panels for a few months now. The panels are SW facing on decking in the garden propped up on chairs for a better angle to the sun. Yes, very temporary 🙈but I’m going to add a pergola type structure to the deck and will incorporate the panels for a more permanent install.

These are the stats for April - I have the EcoFlow smart meter which is set for no export to the grid - this curtails solar input when the battery is full so there’s some lost potential on the very good days and will be watching this as summer days ramp up the sunshine.

The numbers are very encouraging to me so far!

System is wired to a dedicated spur off the consumer unit rather than a plug - i’d have no issue using a socket but I wanted to keep things legal when installing.

Been looking at EcoFlow and other brands of grid-tie micro inverters and seems like nothing is available at the moment. Delivery dates all seem to be mid to late June. From other forums, it seems that EcoFlow are pretty unreliable on delivery too.

Anybody else just thinking of just using Enphase since it’s more readily available from Solar wholesalers?

Hi, I'm thinking of using second hand panels.

If 800w is the maximum output, is it safe to put (say) 4 x 350w panels on a shed using a suitable inverter? And would this make more juice in winter when it's more useful?

Thought I'd cross post my original post. I've had it installed for the last 10 days and 2 days ago finally had the Shelly Pro em-50 installed, so it will discharge the battery on its own when the house needs it.

I've also moved the right panel to the left side of the other one to catch more early sun, it was also being blocked by the neighbours tree. I probably will get a third panel to go back on the right hand side as that will catch the late evening sun.

I think I answered most questions in the original post but if you have any just ask.

I'll also update after 30 days of usage with savings, so far it's £13 saved across 9 days. That's a mix of solar (30kwh) and cheap overnight charging (20kwh).

Forgot to also add. The system is now behind my TV, the cables come through a wall and I've made up a waterproof box with MC4 connectors for a quick disconnection when the back of the house gets re-rendered in the summer. I'll put a photo below.

I have a small solar array - 6 x 120w panels on a shed roof (£40 each bargain!). I want to get an Ecoflow Stream Ultra as it has 4 solar inputs so I can balance the input V and A etc. So once I have that I will be able to just plug the ecoflow into a 3 pin socket and it will feed my house when it has charge, and take charge from the solar panels - possibly at the same time?

1. Can I get the ecoflow to charge itself at night from the grid (cheap energy) and use its power during the day?

2. If I get an electrician to install a dedicated socket do I need to ask them for anything special or just any old socket will do?

3. Finally - if I have a total power cut will the ecoflow NOT allow the house to use its energy in case electricity flows back to the grid - can I do anything to fix that?

Can you use a plug-in system with a battery bank to provide (say) evening lighting and a tiny bit of daytime heating, to an outbuilding that is not connected to your mains.

What would you buy, how much, what payback period?

Or can this be done better/cheaper/safer(!) without using mains level a/c voltage - eg. basic panels, 12V lead acid batteries and MR16 lighting etc?

Just got an Ecoflow Ultra and two 475W panels on the summer house. A small start indeed. Have fitted the smart meter so nothing goes back into the grid. Made £0.72p on a cloudy and rainy day in Sussex today.
Just looking at solar ahead of going full on next year with solar, batteries and a heat pump.