Plug-in solar devices.

[Stan]

Germans are bad conductors.

[AE-NMidlands]

...is supported and promoted in Germany.
If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

big companies ensuring the rules are set to protect their turf?
A

[Stinsy]

Reading the original link, it indicates that this approach (plug and play) is supported and promotes in Germany.

If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

Basically because we use ring final circuits. We're already using cable suitable for 20A protected with a 32A breaker, add in solar halfway round the ring and you could create a situation that the cable overheats and burns your house down without tripping the breaker.

[Bugtownboy]

That’ll do for me. Thankyou.

[AE-NMidlands]

Reading the original link, it indicates that this approach (plug and play) is supported and promotes in Germany.

If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

Basically because we use ring final circuits. We're already using cable suitable for 20A protected with a 32A breaker, add in solar halfway round the ring and you could create a situation that the cable overheats and burns your house down without tripping the breaker.

Fair enough...
A

[Countrypaul]

Reading the original link, it indicates that this approach (plug and play) is supported and promotes in Germany.

If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

Basically because we use ring final circuits. We're already using cable suitable for 20A protected with a 32A breaker, add in solar halfway round the ring and you could create a situation that the cable overheats and burns your house down without tripping the breaker.

Does that mean that Germany etc. only have one socket on each radial otherwise don't they have potentially a simliar problem if someone were to plug a PV (plug & play) supply in near the start of the radial and loads exceeding the MCB/RCBO/? further along?

[AE-NMidlands]

I thought they had thicker wires along each spur. Our thin (hence cheaper/ more resource efficient) wires were justified on the pretext that current could go either way round the circuit...
A

[spread-tee]

Reading the original link, it indicates that this approach (plug and play) is supported and promotes in Germany.

If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

Basically because we use ring final circuits. We're already using cable suitable for 20A protected with a 32A breaker, add in solar halfway round the ring and you could create a situation that the cable overheats and burns your house down without tripping the breaker.

They could be connected to a dedicated radial?

Sped

[Stinsy]

Reading the original link, it indicates that this approach (plug and play) is supported and promotes in Germany.

If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

Basically because we use ring final circuits. We're already using cable suitable for 20A protected with a 32A breaker, add in solar halfway round the ring and you could create a situation that the cable overheats and burns your house down without tripping the breaker.

Does that mean that Germany etc. only have one socket on each radial otherwise don't they have potentially a simliar problem if someone were to plug a PV (plug & play) supply in near the start of the radial and loads exceeding the MCB/RCBO/? further along?

In Germany they have a lot more circuits with a few sockets on each. Typically each room would have its own 16A radial, A washing machine or similar large appliance would have a dedicated circuit.

At the end of WWII the UK needed to rebuild and copper was in short supply, so they invented a system of wiring that was very economical in use of copper wiring and number of circuits. While this met the brief and preempted the proliferation of electrical devices it comes with a number of downsides.

We shouldn’t still be installing ring-final circuits IMO. 20A radials in 2.5mm for sockets, 32A radials in 4mm for a kitchen would make more sense.

[Stinsy]

Reading the original link, it indicates that this approach (plug and play) is supported and promotes in Germany.

If it works for them, why is it something we can’t use in the UK ?

Basically because we use ring final circuits. We're already using cable suitable for 20A protected with a 32A breaker, add in solar halfway round the ring and you could create a situation that the cable overheats and burns your house down without tripping the breaker.

They could be connected to a dedicated radial?

Sped

And in the UK you are allowed to connect solar via a plug if it is a dedicated circuit.