Balcony Solar Is Coming!

[Roger440]

1 hour ago, Dillsue said:

I put self installed on my G99 and my son in law put self installed on his G98 both accepted by our DNO

 

Some sort of notification should exist so DNOs can manage the network. That could be a part prefilled G98 included with plug in solar so the buyer only has to fill in their address and post it. Not onerous stall to do that

Thats good to know as ill be self installing too. I did ask before, but no one seemed clear on that. Ie someone with no electrical qualifications. Well i did qualify under the 16th edition, but i dont think that means alot now.

 

I still say this will be exempted from G98. There will likely be millions of these things. Which would mean millins of G98 forms. Just not going to happen. Not in the real world.

[JohnMo]

4 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

ill be self installing too

We've been saying that for ages. March was great for solar!

[Roger440]

2 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

We've been saying that for ages. March was great for solar!

 

If we can move to a 30 hour day, that would help progress!

[TedM]

1 hour ago, Dillsue said:

Some sort of notification should exist so DNOs can manage the network. That could be a part prefilled G98 included with plug in solar so the buyer only has to fill in their address and post it. Not onerous stall to do that

Even better - barcode on the hardware that you scan with your phone, add your name and address and press send.

It creates the certificate for you and sends the notification to the correct DNO and puts the info in a national database 👍🏻

 

(I create mobile apps as my business and that would literally take 15 minutes to create!)

Edited yesterday at 08:35 by TedM

[Roger440]

6 minutes ago, TedM said:

Even better - barcode on the hardware that you scan with your phone, add your name and address and press send.

It creates the certificate for you and sends the notification to the correct DNO and puts the info in a national database 👍🏻

 

(I create mobile apps as my business and that would literally take 15 minutes to create!)

 

And still most people wont do it. Come back to the real world please.

[SteamyTea]

27 minutes ago, TedM said:

I create mobile apps as my business and that would literally take 15 minutes to create

Do it.

Then let the government (expletive deleted) up the database.

[Dillsue]

6 hours ago, Roger440 said:

I still say this will be exempted from G98. There will likely be millions of these things. Which would mean millins of G98 forms. Just not going to happen. Not in the real world.

Firstly, it can't be exempted as G98 covers a load of safety requirements. If they do away with G98 they'll have to write a new spec for plug in solar and that isn't gonna get done in a few months. G98 already covers sub 800watt generators and gives a few exemptions for those. Recognising plug in systems may be an additional exemption but still part of G98

 

Secondly, they can't dispense with notification because.....if all your neighbours installed 3.68kw solar but didn't tell the DNO then first sunny day the local voltage would rocket and push the voltage past the max limit and your inverter(when installed!) could trip. You wouldn't be happy. Imagine 50% of a block of flats installing plug in systems that the DNO didn't know about it so could bolster the local grid and/or drop the supply voltage, it would be bedlam.

[-rick-]

That's not quite right is it? I thought they couldn't refuse G98. So within current regs every household can install 16A of solar with just a notification which is not refusable. The grid has to cope and if it can't the co's have to make changes.

 

G99 can be refused but the basis G98 is just notification.

 

Also, inverters will shut off if the voltage gets too high (before the voltage gets dangerously high) so installing too much capacity will self regulate to a degree with each user generating less than they would otherwise expect.

 

I believe the 800W limit comes from keeping it to a size where things are easily absorbed by the grid. Whatever update to the rules they make I would expect them to be such that you are not allowed to install more than 800W capacity using this scheme. Any more than that and you need normal G98 and electrician install. Less than that and maybe technically G98/some form of registration required but if it doesn't happen it's not going to cause problems.

[JohnMo]

32 minutes ago, -rick- said:

inverters will shut off if the voltage gets too high

253V from a quick search

[JohnMo]

Easy way - plug and play inverter is limited to 800W. Anything higher goes to CU and controlled by G98.

 

You will still get people that install multiple systems, but difficult to control those. Unless you get the PV police, that's not happening, you can't get normal ones.

[Dillsue]

32 minutes ago, -rick- said:

I thought they couldn't refuse G98. So within current regs every household can install 16A of solar with just a notification which is not refusable. The grid has to cope and if it can't the co's have to make changes.

Yep that's as it is....as previous page!!

 

35 minutes ago, -rick- said:

Also, inverters will shut off if the voltage gets too high (before the voltage gets dangerously high) so installing too much capacity will self regulate to a degree with each user generating less than they would otherwise expect.

It will "self regulate" but those at the extremities of the flats will never get started on sunny days as the voltage will be too high. Without a stream of notifications every block of flats could have problems for years before the DNO recognises the problem and schedules in any alterations needed

[SteamyTea]

Just now, JohnMo said:

Unless you get the PV police, that's not happening, you can't get normal ones.

I can, by doing a reckless 27 MPH.

[-rick-]

2 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

You will still get people that install multiple systems, but difficult to control those. Unless you get the PV police, that's not happening, you can't get normal ones.

 

If multiple systems became a problem it would be possible to introduce technical measures for one inverter to detect others and shutdown if found. I doubt it would be necessary thought (and of course would only be present in new compliant systems anyway)

[Dillsue]

1 minute ago, JohnMo said:

Easy way - plug and play inverter is limited to 800W. Anything higher goes to CU and controlled by G98.

If your ditching G98 for sub 800watt systems how are all the safety requirements going to be specified??

[Dillsue]

10 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

253V from a quick search

For some maybe. Out of the box our solaredge ones are higher!!!!

[-rick-]

1 minute ago, Dillsue said:

If your ditching G98 for sub 800watt systems how are all the safety requirements going to be specified??

 

Just because you ditch notification doesn't mean the products don't have to comply with standards. Go after retaillers selling non-compliant systems (it will only be the Amazon/ebay/aliexpress type stuff anyway and those will be a problem whatever you do with notification)

[JohnMo]

55 minutes ago, Dillsue said:

ditching G98

Wasn't really saying ditch, the inverter would be still compliant, you are just allowed to plug it into the ring main, and not bother with registration.

[Beelbeebub]

16 hours ago, Dillsue said:

If your ditching G98 for sub 800watt systems how are all the safety requirements going to be specified??

Via CE/UKCA marking?  At least for the device and any requirements for it to operate safely. 

 

Obviously it can't control shoddy house wiring (eg not using an outdoor rated socket or just running a really long extension cable) but those risks exist with any electrical equipment. 

[Beelbeebub]

15 hours ago, JohnMo said:

Wasn't really saying ditch, the inverter would be still compliant, you are just allowed to plug it into the ring main, and not bother with registration.

There would be an interesting case for people with old style meters, they would just run backwards so any export would be effectively net metered, ie your effective payment per kwh export would be whatever you import unit cost would be! 😁 

[ProDave]

On 24/03/2026 at 20:13, saveasteading said:

 

 

That's more for an 850W system than it cost me for my original 3.68kW system.

 

No wonder there is interest in selling this plug and play kit, it allows suppliers to charge a lot for a small system just for the users that think they are getting something special.

[JohnMo]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

That's more for an 850W system than it cost me for my original 3.68kW system.

 

No wonder there is interest in selling this plug and play kit, it allows suppliers to charge a lot for a small system just for the users that think they are getting something special.

I was thinking similar. 

[Dillsue]

4 hours ago, Beelbeebub said:

Via CE/UKCA marking?  At least for the device and any requirements for it to operate safely. 

G98 has more onerous/specific requirents than those in the harmonised standards associated with the various EU/UK directives. As an example you can get a CE/UKAS marked inverter that meets all the requirements to legitimately be sold in the EU/UK but you can't connect that to the grid without complying with the countries grid connection standards, G98/G99 for the UK

[Beelbeebub]

Just now, Dillsue said:

G98 has more onerous/specific requirents than those in the harmonised standards associated with the various EU/UK directives. As an example you can get a CE/UKAS marked inverter that meets all the requirements to legitimately be sold in the EU/UK but you can't connect that to the grid without complying with the countries grid connection standards, G98/G99 for the UK

As long as thr unit cannot output more than 800w (about 3a) will it be able to cause much damage to the grid. If it tried to distort the waveform by being put of phase it wouldn't be able to "overwhelm" the natural grid waveform. I wonder if that is why the plug in limit is so low. 

 

The biggest issues will be islanding but that would be covered by the prongs not being live whan unplugged, which would surely be covered by thr CE marking. 

 

That said, it would be sensible if the approval for being put on sale in the UK included some basic specs that make it suitible for grid connection. Eg can only be put on sale if the inverter is listed in the g98 list.

[Dillsue]

13 minutes ago, Beelbeebub said:

That said, it would be sensible if the approval for being put on sale in the UK included some basic specs that make it suitible for grid connection. Eg can only be put on sale if the inverter is listed in the g98 list.

So that would make it a G98 compliant unit

[SteamyTea]

5 hours ago, ProDave said:

That's more for an 850W system than it cost me for my original 3.68kW system

 

4 hours ago, JohnMo said:

was thinking similar

Mentioned this a while back about these system won't be that effective.

6 hours ago, Beelbeebub said:

old style meters, they would just run backwards

Very few left now, and it is illegal, was a problem 15 years ago, but most meters are changed every 20 years.