Cody Plug and Play Solar

27/07/2026

Whats the right size panel? We anticipate that within a year plug in batteries will be formally legal. Once that is in you'll naturally want to get 800w out of your system for as many hours as possible per day.
In tests on a good sunny day in June, our recommended panel configuration produced 7kw from 2 640w polycrown panels at 800w maximum per hour.
So whilst right now smaller panels are quite utilitarian, we recommend future proofing your system with the larger ones. When the batteries are available you will max out on simple plug in solar.

27/07/2026

Its official from the 27th of August (a bit grey right now), that you can plug solar directly into your house without the help of an electrician.

Our systems all use well established inverters and top quality panels.

24/06/2026

A note on impact of shading on panel output

Real World Example:

At the time the photographs below were taken, the system was producing a combined output of 801 watts.

Looking more closely at the monitoring data below.

Panel 1: 486W
Panel 2: 315W

The 2% shaded panel is producing almost 35% less power than the unshaded panel, despite only a small section being affected.

This demonstrates just how sensitive solar panels can be to shading and why panel positioning is so important when planning any solar installation.

Why Does This Happen?

Solar panels are made up of many interconnected cells but the electricity going through is restricted to the slowest cell on the panel.

When part of a panel is shaded, the affected cells can restrict the performance of other cells within the same panel.

The result is a reduction in overall output that is often far greater than the size of the shadow would suggest.

Why Is The Total Output Only 800W?

This particular system is connected to an micro - inverter with a maximum output limit of approximately 800W for the UK Plug in Solar market.

Normally the inverter would take 400 watts from each panel but as one is restricted to 315, the other has taken up the slack. This inverter has a maximum of 500w per channel.

This also shows the benefit of oversized panels and having a high performing micro inverter.

Lessons Learned

When installing solar panels, it is important to consider:

Trees and shrubs that may grow over time
Nearby buildings and structures
Fences, walls and garden features
Seasonal changes in the sun’s position
Early morning and late afternoon shadows
Even minor shading can have a noticeable effect on system performance and reduce the amount of energy your panels generate throughout the day.

Final Thoughts

This example shows that when it comes to solar panels, every ray of sunshine counts.

A small shadow may not look like much, but it can significantly reduce the output of a panel and impact the overall efficiency of your system. Careful positioning and regular maintenance to prevent shading can help ensure you get the maximum return from your solar investment.

22/06/2026

Here the panels are in position in a bit of my garden at 30 degrees.

22/06/2026

This is the output from 2 x 465 panels, the later part of the day was intermittently cloudy. So 5kw on a good clear day is attainable. The 640s will give quite a bit more as the 800w will be hit for much bigger proportion of the day.

09/04/2026