We have the means to generate far more renewable energy than we're doing today if you look at sources like https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/map.

It has a feed all of the live and planned electrical generating plants across the UK. The dashboard also provides where our energy comes from over the past 15 minutes.

When I examined it on the 20th August, we had solar farms idle while our home plant was harvesting photons at 90% of the maximum available for our site! All while the Great Yarmouth Gas power plant was producing carbon dioxide to give us the energy we needed.

Why does having these sources idle cause such an issue for me? If they were live, especially during the summer, we would have much cheaper prices for electricity. The UK is a pioneer in renewable energy, it would be great if we could actually use it!

As a human computer interface designer (often called user interfaces), I am often criticised by my peers for my 'boring designs'. For me though, the story has always been about ensuring any person can make use of the information I am producing and displaying through my apps. 

Since 2002, I have never locked my webpages to a colour or scheme. If you need it yellow text with a purple background because that makes your life easier: you should have that. 

All of TSamko Ltd's apps are built with that philosophy, baked in from day one: which doesn't mean we get it right but we try and we listen to our users feedback. This podcast is the story of that journey towards an intuitive user interface for a solar optimiser, whether the screen is visible to you today, or not.

Further details on how this works may be found on optiPV's website.

On the 27th August 2026, it became possible to legally buy and use plugin solar cells.

In this episode of Driving off the Grid, Sam examines the opportunities that brings to everyone in the UK and why you should consider it.

Sam also discusses the app their company is about to publish called optiPV which helps to explore some of these opportunities using just your mobile phone!

• Navigating the newly established UK legal framework for 800W plug-in solar systems, including compliance with the Interim Product Specification and the G98 notification process.

• How granular control from solar arc and tracking calculations (such as those via optiPV⁠ ) compares to the fixed yields of plug-and-play kits.

• Real-world economics for micro-generation, balancing domestic base loads (fridges, routers, and standby draws) against time-of-use tariffs and smart meter tracking without sacrificing evening routines.

If you have any questions, or which like to take part in beta testing of optiPV⁠ please contact me via "help at optipv.co.uk" .

Why are we talking about reopening North Sea oil fields when gigawatts of clean, green generation sit idle or disconnected?

In this episode of Driving Off the Grid, we look past the headlines and dive straight into the telemetry. Sitting in the home office watching micro-generation squeeze out 3.4 kW under stormy August skies, the conversation turns to a glaring systems failure: why our national infrastructure struggles to make full use of the renewable assets we already have.

We break down live data from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) energy dashboard, exploring the stark gap between commissioned renewable capacity, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and what actually makes it to the grid. From unassigned solar farms to wind output mismatched with transmission pathways, this is an honest look at asset utilization, energy security, and why the real bottleneck isn't our natural resources—it's how we manage them.

In this episode:

• The Micro-Generation Reality: Balancing home solar and battery storage ahead of incoming afternoon storms.

• Reading the Dashboard: Examining live generation telemetry and why thousands of registered solar and wind sites remain offline or under-utilized.

• Storage vs. Curtailment: How Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are shifting from exporting to impulsing power, and why transmission infrastructure needs to catch up.

• The National Picture: Questioning the strategy behind fossil fuel fallback plans when domestic green capacity is left on the table.

Resources & Links:

• Explore the live UK generation data and technology breakdown: Energy Dashboard Map

Enjoyed the episode? Make sure to follow, rate, and share your thoughts on social media.

Forget the piggy banks and penny-pinching, true resilience looks a lot more like a well-stocked larder. In this episode of Driving Off the Grid, we look at how natural cycles of abundance and careful storage translate into modern self-sufficiency. From energy independence to preserving what you grow, we explore what it really means to put things away for a rainy day.

Yesterday, we baked a chicken pie, cooked a fruit parcel, charged the car, vacuumed and steamed the upstairs rooms, did three loads of washing, and cycled the dishwasher. All of the 8.4 kWh we generated from our solar cells and the power stowed in our battery.

The chicken for the pie had been cooked for Sunday roast, it was leftovers. The pastry was shop bought, but the fruit parcels meant the leftover pastry was used. Cooking the two courses cost less than 1.5kWh, because I used my combination microwave and fan oven.

The shop bought pastry came in packaging that was completely recycled.

Plug-in solar will bring that capability to many more people throughout the UK. You no longer need to own your property to have access to solar power. So, is it worth it?

NB: The https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/map shows how many renewable sources of energy there are in the UK. And how few are actively donating to the grid. The answer is not to pump gas and oil out of the North Sea but to get these hooked up, in my opinion.

When I contemplated having a podcast, this was the first idea I had for busting some myths about owning a heat pump.

It's not your usual discussion on efficiency. Inspired by the legendary Murray Walker, this looks at a dilemma faced by many every day and how our heat pump not only was up to the task in hand, but used less energy too.

NB - our hot water tank is a 320 litre one, so the pump is doing a bit more than I estimated in the podcast.

Our heat pump is a Visessman Vitocal not Vitodens! Though I did get the coefficient of performance (COP), aka seasonal performance factor, right: 4.2 was our value last year and the year before.

If you want to see our numbers, in full, please see Number crunching part 2.

In this episode, I share how the right insulation in the right places can help you stay cool during the summer and warm during the winter.

I hear many broadcasters complain that UK homes are built for retaining heat and not keeping cool during the summer. But actually, it we think of insulation as allowing us to maintain a comfortable living temperature, insulating your home could give you that benefit.

Following on from this article on my blog, we examine what has been working for us, what we're thinking of doing next, and what might be worth looking at for your home!

If you have any thoughts about this piece or subjects you'd like covered, please leave a comment below. It's not all about creating shaded spaces this summer!

How have we managed to live 10 weeks off grid while high heat has meant our solar production has been a little lower in June than it was last year? Why would we want to do such a thing?

Should we have been braver doing this?

This draws on the figures shown in article Living off the Grid and a little more besides.

Carl Sagan used to teach his students that any intelligent civilisation on any planet will eventually have to harness the energy from its parent star exclusively.

Many people in the UK have made the move to solar, but it is interesting hearing why people don't. Their answers inspired me to build an app that in 20 seconds would give them the information it takes a professional several minutes to obtain.

If the building or structure you are looking to use doesn't exist yet, TechoSolara will take in the details you give it. All without needing an internet connection - you can be in the middle of the UK countryside, without a phone signal and it will still work. Hear all about it here.

Why is it called Driving off the Grid and what is it all about?

Here the answers here - btw, the series name is from a section of my blog called Driving off the Grid. It started off as talking about driving an electric car, but quickly evolved into something more... our journey from EPC C to EPC B and hopefully an A.

Of course, in this piece, I look at the world in 2013, when electricity in the UK was 14p a unit and LED bulbs were a small fortune. But that small step was the start of a bigger story and you can follow that here.