What do I need to know?

‘Plug-in-solar’ systems are limited to supplying a maximum of 800W of power at a time into your house. This is to protect the mains electricity grid from overload. 800W is enough to run low energy items like a T.V, but not higher power items like a microwave or iron. As this is a maximum, you’ll only get this when the panel is in full sun, most of the time the output will be much lower than this.

Many plug-in and grid-tie systems will not work during a power outage. This is an essential safety requirement, designed to protect the workers fixing the outage from being electrocuted by electricity flowing into the grid from your solar domestic electricity generation. If having power during a power cut is important to you, check specifications carefully and ensure any grid-tied plug-in system you buy incorporates a special device which provides “anti-islanding” protection. This automatically shuts off the connection to the grid, when a power outage is detected.

As these plug-in-solar systems are connected to the grid, any energy you generate, which is not immediately used in your house, will be fed back into the grid and is essentially lost to you. If you are lucky enough to be on a good tariff, you might get paid for this, but it will be at a lower rate than it will cost you to buy the equivalent energy back later.

Some ‘plug-in-solar’ units may also have the option to add some battery storage, enabling you to save some of your energy for use later, but these will, of course, be at an extra cost. Make sure you purchase quality batteries, from a reputable brand, with a battery management system which enables you to monitor their charge level and health so you can identify any issues, like overheating, cell charging anomalies etc. before they become a problem. With battery storage you generally get what you pay for, cheaper batteries will be designed to reach a low price point, not a high quality and safety standard.

Alternatives to plug-in solar

There are however already, legal alternatives to these grid-tied ‘plug-in-solar’ systems: ‘Grid-independent solar generators’.

These portable, or semi-portable units, are a bit like large versions of the battery power banks you might use for changing mobile devices, but with more advanced batteries and more sophisticated management systems.

These ‘grid-independent’ systems consist of a solar panel or panels and a box which contains the inverter, battery and management system. The solar energy is supplied to sockets on the box into which you can plug in the appliances you wish to power. Excess energy generated is stored in the battery.

The Ark

Our Ark® solar generator is one of the most powerful ‘grid-independent solar generators’ on the domestic market. It’s a super-simple way to get started generating and using your own home-grown electricity. With no complicated grid-tie to sort out and a simple plug and play design you can install it yourself and be up and running in no time!

Comprising a powerful solar array and battery storage with an advanced management system, the Ark comes with everything you need to get started creating your own energy.

The Ark is ideal for homes, offices, outbuildings, hobby rooms, stables, greenhouses etc. To find out more, click on the link at the end of this article.

The Ark offers a number of advantages over the proposed ‘plug-in-solar’ systems. We outline a few of these below.

The Ark is Powerful

Its generous 1.8kWp solar array and 8kWh battery bank help you generate meaningful amounts of electricity. Enough, for example, to run a small office or cabin all year round.

The 2.6kW inverter is powerful enough to run most domestic appliances e.g washing machines, microwaves, kettles, irons etc. independently.

The Ark works 365 days a year, even during a power cut, giving you a sustainable, uninterruptible power source (USP), to keep essential equipment like a freezer or computer running, even if the outage lasts for weeks!

The Ark is independent

With the Ark, You keep all the energy you generate and store in the battery.

With no need for a grid connection the Ark can provide power anywhere you have sunshine, even in locations where a mains connection is impractical or undesirable.

The complete package

The Ark comes with everything you need to get started creating your own energy, including battery, inverter, advanced Bob management system and solar panels.

You can install it yourself. - Its simple plug and play design makes it quick and easy to install. Because it doesn’t feed power into your mains electricity supply, it doesn’t need a complicated grid-tie connection, so you don’t need an electrician or MCS certified installer.

Option to plug-in - The Ark can run on 100% solar, but if you want to top the Ark up from the mains, you can. Simply plug it in and, you can choose to fully charge it immediately or auto-top up if battery levels drop when solar is poor (e.g. at night).

Bob makes solar simple

“Bob” our unique user interface, guides you though your solar generation and use, helping you make the most of your valuable solar energy, so you can relax knowing you won’t suddenly run out of power.

Bob quietly works away in the background, monitoring the system, keeping an eye on energy generation and usage trends as well as looking after battery health. With Bob on the case, you don’t have to worry about analysing power levels or battery voltages, you can relax, knowing you’ll be notified if you need to take action.