These £500 plug‑in solar panels are about to go on sale: here’s what an expert says you need to know |
Plug-in solar panels are expected to officially go on sale in the UK in the next few months for around £500. But there are quite a few obstacles for the government and householders to overcome before this becomes the easy-to-use option that is popular in other European countries.
Plug-in solar typically consists of one or more panels, which can be mounted on the sides of a balcony (or in the garden), and then connects to the house via an inverter. The inverter converts the type of electricity that the panels generate to the voltage and frequency used by the grid.
In theory this power can be fed into a home via a standard plug. This has not been possible in the UK for safety and regulatory reasons, but these regulations are now being amended to allow this, provided the panels meet new safety standards.
In Germany, millions of panels like these were in use in 2025. The German-owned supermarket Lidl and British-owned Iceland are already working with the UK government to put them on sale in the UK. These panels could produce around 200–500kWh per year, about 10% of a typical household’s energy, depending on how the system was positioned.
What the government needs to do
The government’s plans will allow plug-in installations of up to 800W, subject to several guidelines. But it’s still not clear if there’s going to be........