SI 2026/848
One statutory instrument made these products legal in Great Britain. It also set the limits that every other rule follows from. Here is what it says, in order.
This is worth being clear about, because kits were on sale in Europe for years and plenty of people bought one and brought it home. The government's own consultation states that solar plug-in microgenerators could not legally be sold, supplied or used in the UK.
Two things blocked them. The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 obliged every electrical installation to meet the British Standard Requirements, chiefly BS 7671. And BS 1363, the standard for the household plug, does not permit plugs and sockets to be used to connect electricity generating equipment. So the products did not comply with the Plugs and Sockets Regulations either.
The full title is The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It was made on 16 July 2026, laid before Parliament on 17 July, and came into force on 27 August 2026.
If you live in Northern Ireland, do not assume this applies to you, and be wary of any retailer who tells you it does.
The connection rules that make plug-in solar work in Great Britain come from Engineering Recommendation G98, and G98 applies to Great Britain only. Northern Ireland's connection requirements are set out separately under G98/NI.
The product specification itself says, in a footnote, that applying it to Northern Ireland "is subject to further consideration and may require amendment". Respondents to the government consultation also raised questions about how the standards apply in Northern Ireland and whether there are implications for the Windsor Framework. The government acknowledged the point without resolving it.
So the honest answer is that it is unresolved, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.
The law lets you plug one in yourself. It does not let you change anything in the circuit, and an outdoor socket has to be rated IP55 or better.
Tell us the postcode and what the surface is and we will put you in front of someone local who has actually read the new rules. If your answers show the permitted development right does not cover you, we will say so instead of sending anyone out.