British bank holiday weekends traditionally contain a number of familiar activities, whether it be going camping only to find the weather turns very wet just after you have pitched your tent, spending way too much time in the pub, or going and getting all the materials for a garden or DIY project but then running out of time to complete the actual job.
But I wonder how many people spent this bank holiday weekend, heading down to Argos to be among the first to buy plug-in solar panels for their home, now they have become legal in the UK? 
Utilising the power of the sun and having some energy independence is hardly a new concept in the UK. I had a school friend whose parents had a solar hot water system back, and I recently saw BBC archive footage from way back in 1975 of a householder who had rigged their own solar hot water system up. The film reported their quarterly bill totalled 10 pence compared to their neighbours’ bills of £12 using electricity and £11 using gas!
Since then, the push was on for hot water and heating to be done by gas, with the focus on photovoltaic cells rather than solar hot water, in this country at least. 
Germany is considered to be the leader in plug-in solar and panels have been a common feature on balconies there since 2019. The technology that is now available here is aimed at groups that have previously been excluded from the installation of rooftop solar, including rented properties and flats.
Whilst the regulations have changed to allow the sale and use of plug-in solar panels, the terminology is slightly misleading, as unless you have had the electrics in your home checked or updated recently, it would be wise to get your electrics checked before making a purchase. 
The charity Electrical Safety First released guidance last week that explained consumer units and the RCD’s (Residual Current Devices) inside need to be suitable for plug-in solar, which when connected essentially runs the electric in the opposite direction. 
So, education is important here to help keep people safe but this development may also provide an opportunity to build knowledge around how energy is generated, and how the energy system works. 
Research undertaken by SEC Newgate on sentiment towards development of solar farms shows a key interaction between awareness, knowledge and communication. In DESNZ Public Attitudes Tracker awareness of renewable energy (self-reported) including solar, is high, but deep knowledge is relatively low outside the younger demographic, people who have studied the subject, or those such as homeowners who have already researched installations for their properties – which leaves a lot of people who will be experiencing the potential benefit of and how solar energy works, for the first time.  
Being able to buy a solar plug-in kit will mean that a lot of people are now more included in making decisions about the generation of energy, many of whom have already done as much as they can to conserve energy but have been excluded from previous self-generation schemes.  
I clearly remember the first round of the UK solar Feed in Tariff (FiT) when it was snapped up by home owners who could afford the initial outlay. These early adopters who signed up from 2010 received a guaranteed tax-free payment for every unit starting at 40 – 50 pence per kWh, with an additional payment for surplus energy sent back to the grid. 
Those who were really quick off the mark and signed up in the first two years got a 25-year guaranteed contract. Meanwhile those without the money and suitable properties to join the scheme were left to pay higher and higher bills, many of whom moved into fuel poverty.
While these off the shelf kits are not going to produce a lot of energy per household, it opens up the opportunity for more people to take some control of some their own energy production and bring bills down, broaden understanding of renewable energy and help in a small way to the energy transition being more equal. 
 
https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/press-and-media/responding-to-the-roll-out-of-plug-in-solar-panels/
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/desnz-public-attitudes-tracker-winter-2025/desnz-public-attitudes-tracker-renewable-energy-winter-2025-uk
https://www.secnewgate.co.uk/sites/default/files/2025-02/SEC%20Newgate%20-%20NSIP%20Research%202025%20digital.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive
 

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