Plug in solar

NedS

You'd only need two decent modern panels for an 800W system, so with a bit of DC cabling you could prop them up almost anywhere, and move them around to catch the sun most of the day. They may blow around a bit in winter if not fixed down though!

QrizB

In many circumstances, solar panels fixed to the wall or roof of a house or block of flats are classed as 'permitted development' and do not require planning permission

I think tfhnota was referring to roof fixings being notifiable under Building Regulations, something that is taken care of by the installer when you have a MCS-certified system fitted.

Portable panels (as you could use with most plugin systems) might fall outside the scope, but not if they're fixed permanently to the roof.

Scot_39

How much would it cost to get a suitable external IP rated socket installed to connect one of these systems ?

Would it be a sheilded BS1363 or a more industrial shrouded round pin type (e.g. IEC 60309 ?)

Probably wouldnt enter the maths for a full solar array - but if these things going to be a few £100 once market settles - its probably less easy to ignore secondary costs.

Swipe

My idea would have been to mount the inverter inside the garage on the wall and connect to the internal socket. Then drill a hole in the wall for the panel cables.

QrizB

How much would it cost to get a suitable external IP rated socket installed to connect one of these systems ?

We don't yet know the rules for a compliant system; will it need to be a dedicated radial circuit or can you use an existing ring main, for example?

If you can use an existing circuit, you can plug into a garage or shed like @Swipe describes above. Or poke the DC cable through an open window. You can buy flat cables for that very purpose.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FPRFNCP1

daveyjp

I'd look at attaching them to my car roof rails. It sits on a south facing drive all day and no shadowing until very late in the day over summer.

Baldytyke88

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81935998#Comment_81935998

The link is from York City Council, I would expect most councils to adopt the same policy. A 20 cm height limit, so ok as long as they are not tilted?

QrizB

The link is from York City Council, I would expect most councils to adopt the same policy. A 20 cm height limit, so ok as long as they are not tilted?

Planning permission and building regulations are two separate, unrelated, sets of legislation. They're often handled by different parts of your council.

Are rooftop solar panels Permitted Development? Yes, with conditions.

Do you need planning permission for permitted development? No, that's the whole point.

Does permitted development still need to comply with the Building Regulations? Yes.

Do roof-mounted solar panels need Building Regulations approval? Generally, yes.

tfhnota

I think the rules have recently changed, permitted development is now only allowed for MCS installs (and MCS installs can self-certify for building reg's) and that MCS install includes the actual mechanical fixings on the roof, so it is unlikely that you could self-install plug-in panels on the roof without planning and building reg's. Councils are notoriously lax in updating their websites, etc, although my council has bought giant SUV's for the enforcement officers to zoom around in rather than making them ride bicycles…

I think it is worth mentioning because it is the obvious place to max out the sun, although the intention is to fit them to walls and balconies. Even ground-mounting panels does not exclude the need for planning permission. Having said that, the government may decide that people can mount a small number of panels wherever they want to and in whatever manner they like - a rare and unlikely freedom!

Martyn1981

Something I've been harping on about for ~15yrs, is how even a small PV system doubling as a door canopy would help many homes. With the generation covering 'baseload'.

For one of my 2011 installs, I couldn't reach the necessary minimum voltage for the inverter (not a problem these days), so replaced the polycarbonate canopy on the back of the house with some nice wrought iron brackets, and fitted two panels.

So this plug-n-play fits naturally with something like that, and whilst I was pondering 250Wp panels back then, now they could be 440Wp+, or maybe just a single 540Wp panel. Two jobs for the price of one.

Hopefully the many angled brackets will suit folk with canopies, and also help with improving the angle for say fence mounted panels ……. or even potentially PV panels as your fence, now that costs are comparable, expecially if considering no need to paint/maintain for 30yrs.

Early days, and options will keep growing, and improving. A hybrid (two-way) battery powerstation(2kWh-8kWh) with 800W max feed back into the house circuit, with ~1.5kWp to 2kWp of panels, plus grid monitoring to manage output (or charging) inline with house demand/export….would work nicely.