From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

From Energy Live News:

Plug-in solar panels could pose fire risks, create safety hazards and undermine confidence in the energy transition unless ministers slow down plans for a rapid rollout, some of the UK’s biggest electrical safety bodies have warned.

In an unusually united intervention, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), Electrical Safety First (ESF), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), NICEIC and SELECT have urged the government to proceed with caution before allowing plug-in solar PV units onto the mass market.

The organisations said they support wider access to cheap clean energy but warned public safety must come first.

They argue there are serious unanswered questions around electrical safety, product standards, grid resilience, insurance liability and consumer protection.

At the heart of the concern is the fact that plug-in solar units do far more than power an appliance. Unlike a kettle or television, the devices generate electricity and feed it back into a home’s electrical system, creating two-way power flows that many existing domestic installations were never designed to handle.

Industry experts warned this could affect the operation of key safety devices such as residual current devices (RCDs), potentially compromising electrical protection systems within the home.

The groups said more than 50% of housing stock is more than 100 years old, raising concerns that ageing wiring could struggle to cope with additional electrical loads.

Without proper assessment, they warned plug-in solar systems could increase the risk of overheating and fire, particularly if consumers connect multiple units or use extension leads and adaptors.

Full story here.

It is worth remembering that Miliband’s decision to roll these plug-in panels out did not make them legal – they already were. It was to allow them to be installed without a qualified electrician.

Which is precisely why the electrical standards people are ringing the alarm bells now.