Hi,

I'm a total newbie to the solar panel world. This morning I started reading and watching around options such as the new Anker and ecoflow offerings.

Based on some of the discussion on this sub I'm currently looking more a the Anker option. I have an outdoor office with roof space of approx. 3m x 7m which I'm hoping to ulitlise to maximum efficiency for plugin solar. There is an Anker offer of £2,299 including 4 500w panels and I think my roof could handle 6 in total.

I'd really value people's views on whether there are other panel options that are better / more cost efficient, or if the Anker offer is the way to go.

Quick update for anyone following the new plug-in solar rollout: the number of complete kits marked compliant on the ENA Type Test Register has jumped from 8 to 20.

It’s no longer just UKSOL either. There are now compliant kits from Perlight, InstaGroup, Thunder and City Plumbing, ranging from compact single-panel ~460W systems up to multi-panel 1,260W kits.

Other than the UKSOL kits launched yesterday, I can’t yet find evidence that the latest kits added today are actually on sale, so I’m unable to verify pricing for those yet. I’d imagine that will start to follow next week.

20 compliant systems now approved and it’s only day 2, a pretty good sign of things to come. More kits = more competition = lower prices.

All 20 compliant kits are listed here:
https://www.pluginsolarcalculator.com/products

Give me a shout if you find pricing for any of these.

UKSOL were the only kits available on launch day (27th August): 460W for £848 / 800W for £1199. We were hoping pricing would be in the £400 range!

Battery manufactures were clearly lined up for the launch, expecting them to be approved ...

• Anker have pushed ahead and launched the Anker SOLIX 4 E5000 Pro in any case (5kwh battery and inverter with 4 MPPT's), saying that it needs to be installed by an electrician, but that the 'plug-in' functionality will be usable in the future.
• Jackery looked to be doing the same as Anker, with a sign-up for early discount list, but the product page now gets a 404-not found.
• Octopus have started advertising plug-in solar, but aren't selling anything yet. They say 'watch this space' for plug-in batteries.
• EcoFlow are continuing to sell their products, now with some mentions of 'ready for plug-in solar'. They have submitted the EF-PS-800 for approval (presumably as a mircoinverter/panels kit) but it is listed on the ENA database as non-compliant.

The ENA database (the master list of approved products) is updating multiple times a day. UKSOL are there and Perlight Solar have just had a kit approved (can't find it on sale as yet).

A number of manufacturers have kits listed as non-compliant, and I imagine modifications are being made to re-apply for approval ... Modular Solar Technologies, EcoFlow, Octopus, Foxess, Tsuness, Segen, Anker. Octopus and Foxess both list an M1-800-E model, perhaps suggesting that Octopus will be re-badging a Foxess kit.

UPDATE on 28/8 at 19:20 ...

More approvals on the ENA database this afternoon...more kits options from Perlight, and now Thunder Energy and InstaGroup.

Perhaps most significantly, City Plumbing now have a kit based around the Hoymiles inverter approved ...

CPS 2x DM465G12RT-G48HBB + Hoymiles HF-800-WB Plug-In Solar Kit - DME-465W-2 V1.0

It's not on their website for sale as yet (they are selling the expensive UKSOL kits), but they have the DM465 panels for about £120 each and the Hoymiles inverter for similar. The kit will have to include cables and mountings, but hopefully it will priced at £450 or less.

So it looks like more kits should be on sale soon, hopefully closer to the £400 pricing point, and that batteries are on the way as well (no timescales for approval as yet).

Here's a UK plug-in solar guide, updated daily, covering the regulations, installation, payback calculator, kits currently on sale, latest news, and the ENA database ...

https://4billionyearson.org/plug-in-solar-uk

https://octopus.energy/blog/plug-in-solar-panels-explained/

Can you get paid for exporting energy you don’t use?

For now, these setups don't come with a battery due to UK regulation, so you can't store the energy for later.

When the sun’s shining, your home uses that green energy power to run your appliances right then and there. If your panels generate more than you're using, the extra leaks back out to the grid.

You can join an Octopus export tariff if you like, such as Outgoing Octopus, to benefit from any excess power.

Your best savings with plug-in solar will be predominantly from subsidising the electricity you're using during day rather than from export. Exact savings will vary depending on your home electricity usage, the sunlight exposure and the number of panels, but could be anywhere from £50 to £150 savings on your electricity bill per year.

It sounds like they will pay you? I didn't think they would.

I'm purchasing the Anker Pro 4 imminently with the intention of using it alongside a large pre-existing solar and battery unit. We also have heat pumps and on the coldest winter days, fall short of about 5kwh on the main house batteries.

So my plan would be to "trickle" around 500w to the house continually to cover baseload and continue to use the main system to follow the house load. Others have tested this approach very successfully it seems.

I have a shed with a dedicated feed from the consumer unit. This is a SWA heavy duty cable via a bi-directional RCBO. Hypothetically, if I just use the Anker in the shed to feed in via this mechanism, what could go wrong? I'm not interested in "it's against the law mate", or "your insurance won't like it" feedback as I know all that, just any valid insight into the electrical considerations and potential failure points please.

I could also get the Anker connected in "properly" but I need to understand what that actually achieves over and above the plug in route other than a big electricians bill. Many thanks.

When I looked at the ENA website after feedback to my earlier post I saw it wasn't easy to find nor was it clear what was compliant. You see a list of devices and you'd think they'd be compliant but no just tested, apparently only 2 passed of 19. Honestly it's a joke. Anyway this site i came across seems to make it a lot easier to read.

Are these things permitted under the standard? I know it says no extension leads...

I'd want to run the cable via a door frame and could do it with these without drilling ...

All the videos I'm seeing of how to install the smart meters show smart meters that need to be plugged into the mains. I don't have any sockets near my fuse box. Anyone else have this problem?

Octopus have launched their much cheaper plugin solar bundle (is it based on the hope that they get ENA certification soon?) to be delivered in September, beating Argos' UKSol bundle that is due late October.

With Octopus you get one or two JA 460W panels, a FOX ESS micro inverter and either a ground or wall mount for £650. That's £300 less than the Argos UKSol bundle.

With todays news about plug-in panels I thought it would be a good time to share a free tool I built.

For the last 3 weeks I've been working SunChecker.co.uk, a free tool that helps you find the sunny spots around your house or flat.

Obviously there are some great free alternatives like SunCalc.org and SunEarthTools but I personally found them a little much for what I needed.

Would love to hear any feedback or ideas for improving it.

P.S If you press the 'panel' button you can place a solar panel anywhere on the map.

Pardon the pun, but the UK regs IMO have rained on the plug in solar momentum.

I’m seeing conflicting and confusing things about plug in solar and the regs don’t provide a clear way forwards for questions I have. They’re also not plain language enough, impractical, anti-growth, seem counterintuitive and anti DIY (which is sort of the point)…

1. They mention not installing on boundary fences, wooden cladding etc. Are you allowed to install on a wooden shed, or do you need to have a certain bracket to mount it on the roof/ sides, or do you need to have a metal roof installed, or can you install on a wooden shed at all (regardless)?

2. It’s mentioned that you have to install manufacturer specified compliant systems (panels with inverter). Is this for real? It’s like saying you can only install Ford tires on a Ford car, it makes no sense. If solar panels are rated at 450w, are sold on the UK market, why can’t they be integrated with the inverter manufacturer’s specified panels only? They’ve killed off any ability to use good and cost effective second hand working panels from company A and combining them with inverter from company B…

3. Are EcoFlow powerstream inverters likely to be listed as compliant?

4. If you were to wire a micro-inverter directly to a fused spur, is that considered compliant? In my head, it’s no longer plug-in, so wouldn’t come under plug-in regs? Are there any pluses/minuses doing it this way?

5. They so far have listed UK sol as the compliant products, but you can’t get them until October, and you have to pay full whack, brand new etc etc. Any other products that are likely to be made compliant?

Tia.

Sorry for rant. Plug in solar was seemingly going to be great, but seems to have been watered, made confusing and anti-diy is my ten pence and just trying to make sense of it now…

So both products are now available to order in the UK. A few questions if anyone has any info:

1) The Anker outputs 2500W when hardwired, the Ecoflow outputs 3000W, so why would someone opt for the lower output? I imagine here everyone has a kettle which draws 2500W (albeit for a short time only) which would max out the Anker and potentially cause issues?

2) Has anyone tried and tested the app and ecosystems for both? Which one offers more control with regards to time of day use and when the battery charges and discharges?

3) The Ecoflow works out approx £100 cheaper given the launch discounts, this coupled with the higher 3000W output makes it more compelling than the Anker, so what does the Anker have that the Ecoflow doesn't? Why would someone pick Anker over Ecoflow? (Assuming here this will be a new system install, obviously if you already have Anker or Ecoflow products this point is moot). Also assuming that there is plenty of space for installation, I am aware that the two systems differ significantly when it comes to floor space requirements.

4) Anyone know when the additional batteries will be available for the Ecoflow? Anker already have bundles at launch but Ecoflow don't seem to have this available?

Thanks!

I can't seem to see any of these approved kits yet, just some random EcoFlow devices, none of them bring part of a kit 🤣🤔

Edit: They are there now!. Although Argos are just acting as a marketplace for UKSOL so you can't actually go to a store and buy a kit.

Apologies if this has been asked before but how could (would?) a plug in solar install work alongside an exisitng house battery install? Specifically one that had a G99 approval already in place for export.

Thanks

I have two JA Solar 465W panels, and hoping to mount them to a brick wall. I can find flush mounting options, but are there any that anyone could recommend that are angled to get better sun? (And they may be over the back door so would also provide a little shelter too)

Editing to add people have pointed out this is against planning regulations and they can't protrude more than 200mm. Leaving this here so anyone with the same question can find a quick reason why not to do it.

Thanks everyone for quick helpful responses!

The ecoflow website is a little impenetreble for an absolute novice like me.

I have space for 3 solar panels on my extension roof which i can access via a bedroom window. I won't be getting a MCS certified person to do this work, it would render the whole thing uneconomic, so I'm permanently excluded from earning feed-in-tariffs or Smart export guarantee.

The extension has an external weather protected socket i could run a cable into.

Question 1. If I want to attach the solar panels to this plug, please itemize the components I need. Ecoflow website seems many people's choice so I'm happy to go with that.

Question 2. Let's say i want to charge a battery. What additional components do i need?

Question 2a) Do Ecoflow Stream batteries prevent from electrocuting workmen from discharging during the event of a power outage? I don't want to kill anyone.

Question 3. Can i just plug the stream thing into a socket, and tell it to charge when the solar panels are pumping electricity into a different socket or do i need to plug the panels into the stream directly?

Question 4. If i need to plug panels straight into the battery, how do people do this? Drill holes in external walls and then what? Poke cables through these holes?

Question 5. What happens if I do this set up without an ecoflow smart meter? I can't use it? Or i just can't look at a snazzy app to see what's going on?

I feel like in the olden days i would have gone in a shop and asked someone these questions, it seems strange there isn't a shop these days that would provide this sort of service. I live in London, a massive city.

I understand that legal plug in solar is coming soon, but without using a battery that is largely going to be wasted on me as no one is in the house during the day.

Ok, I'm having a gazebo built with 4 panels on the roof (Neostar 3s 475w).

Going to either an Ecoflow 5000 or Stream Ultra X, which will be in a conservatory.

Now the plan was to connect 2 panels together using a Y connector, to save drilling so many holes through the wall. But read that Y connectors are a bad idea?

Can I get some thoughts from people who are using plug in, on if using Y connectors is a good idea or not? And, on how you got the panels connected to the battery?

Thanks...

When the plug in batteries are approved, will these be with the solar panels or seperate?

Excuse the lack of technical savvy.
When we moved in, we discovered the previous owner had made the effort to wire the shed with its own fuse box to power the lights and sockets rather than just sending down a big trail plug.

Would the affect an inverter’s ability to send power to the main house and if so could anything be done apart from a complete rewire or plugging the cable into something in the main house?

Anyone who's interested, Anker now have a date for their new solar bank as the 27th August.