On 16 June 2026 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) opened a consultation on plug-in solar microgenerators — small solar systems without batteries that plug into a standard UK mains socket. Under the existing framework these cannot be legally sold, supplied or used in the UK.
The consultation asks whether and how such systems should be permitted. It closes on 30 June 2026, and DESNZ expects to publish a summary of responses and its policy direction by 22 July 2026, subject to approvals.
Battery storage and other plug-in microgeneration technologies are outside the scope of this consultation. Several important questions remain open, including whether a maximum system size (such as an 800W limit) will be set, whether network-operator notification under G98 will be required or waived, which product-safety standards will apply, and how tenancy and planning rules will be treated.
Nothing about the consultation changes the position today: plug-in solar is not yet legal to sell, supply or use in the UK, and no product can be treated as UK-compliant until a legal framework and the relevant standards are in place. We will update our coverage as the consultation progresses.