How to add a plug & play solar kit to a rooftop installation

Some customers ask us how they can add a plug & play solar kit to their home, despite already having solar panels installed on their roof. The rooftop installation might be too small, or the household’s power needs have increased - there are many reasons why your rooftop solar installation might need a top up.

The purpose of adding a plug & play solar kit

If your rooftop installation needs a boost in output power, a plug & play solar kit is an easy option to achieve just that without the hassle of calling up your installation company. Whether your home has rooftop solar or not, the same rules apply as to what is considered plug & play and what you can self-install. Solar kits of up to 800 W can be self installed in most European countries, and usually there is a limit of one kit per fuse in your electric closet.

Before installing it probably makes sense to analyze in what part of the day you need extra electricity. If this is during sunshine hours, with simply installing the plug & play solar kit you should be fine. If you need more power in other dayparts, consider installing a plug & play solar kit together with a solar battery, to in full or in part use the kit’s energy when you need it most.

We also hear of customers that have seasonal needs for extra power, like additional air conditioning or a pool pump in summer. A plug & play solar kit can come handy in these cases.

Compare your options

If you decide to expand your existing rooftop installation, it is important that you compare the two options you have: increasing your rooftop installation or adding a plug & play solar kit:

• Price: plug & play solar kits start as low as €449 (VAT & transport incl.) and come with all components necessary to make your installation work. An expansion of your rooftop installation might cost not only the addition of the new components, but you might have to substitute components of the existing installation (for example the inverter), if they are of no use for the new, bigger installation.
• Warranties: Robinsun plug & play solar kits come with a 30 years production warranty of our bifacial, full black solar panels. Conventional panels might have shorter warranty periods. Check what warranties your rooftop installer offers you to make sure they’re as good as those of a Robinsun kit.
• Installation speed: a plug & play solar kit can be ordered online and will be delivered in days. You can then set it up quickly, plug it in and are all set. Expanding a rooftop installation might require longer permitting, planning and execution periods. You might lose time and money waiting for it to happen.
• Effort: with a plug & play solar kit, you’re autonomous in deciding when to install. You won’t need to wait for an appointment with an installer to come first to plan and then to execute the work.

How a kit fits into your home’s electric installation

Although you’re adding solar panels to your home with an additional plug & play solar kit, it is independent from your rooftop installation when it comes to your home’s electrical installation. The plug & play kit is connected to any household socket, not to your existing rooftop installation. As long as you stay within the 800 W limit, there is no danger from your plug & play solar kit. The two solar installations work and produce on their own. The production of your plug & play solar kit will reduce the electricity consumption of your home. Should your rooftop installation produce more than you home consumes, it will feed the surplus electricity into the grid at the conditions you have agreed with your power company.

Certifications and formalities

Whether you need to certify or register your plug & play solar kit depends on your country’s regulations. In Germany a simple notification to the national grid operator is sufficient. In Spain you can (optionally) certify your plug & play solar kit, to obtain benefits. If you already have a certified rooftop installation, consider if you need to certify the plug & play solar kit as well, since your rooftop certification might already cover some benefits (like compensation of your surplus power) and you can save on certification costs.

Conclusions

If you want to top up the production of an existing rooftop installation, a plug & play solar kit is a great option to do so. It’s fast, easy, and hassle free. At Robinsun we ship kits daily to customers all over Europe. Kits can be self-installed in minutes once the components get delivered to your doorstep. And the moment you plug your kit into your household socket you start consuming your kit’s solar power immediately.

Considering the cost of a rooftop installation, and that many installers don’t have time to see customers for smaller jobs, if your extra electricity needs aren’t that big, with a plug & play solar it you can top up your rooftop installations conveniently.