Plugin Solar Expert is an independent UK guide to plug-in, balcony, and off-grid solar — covering everything from the legal status of self-install kits to real cost and payback numbers, and specialist guides for caravans, narrowboats, beach huts, horseboxes, and more.
Who writes this site
Plugin Solar Expert is written and run by Richard, a UK solar owner rather than a solar professional. I have a grid-tied system with battery storage at home, which is where the interest came from, but I am not an electrician, not MCS registered, and nothing here is a substitute for advice from someone who is.
I think that is worth stating plainly, because a lot of sites in this corner of the internet imply hands-on expertise they do not have.
How the guides are researched
The guides are built from four things — published UK regulations and standards, manufacturer specifications, independent solar generation data, and current UK retail pricing. They are not built from first-hand product testing, and where a page gives a figure I have not measured myself, it says so.
The sources used most often are legislation.gov.uk for the regulations themselves, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for the plug-in solar product specification, the Energy Networks Association for G98 and the type test register, and PVGIS for solar generation estimates by location.
Where a figure or claim is uncertain, the page says so rather than presenting it as more precise than it is. Where two official sources disagree — and on plug-in solar they currently do — the page shows both rather than picking one quietly.
How we make money
This site earns a small commission when readers buy products through some of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full details are on our Affiliate Disclosure page. Our recommendations are based on research, not commission rates.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or something you think we've got wrong? I'd genuinely like to hear it — accuracy matters more to me than defending what is already published. Corrections get made and dated.