In #Rottweil in the #Blackforrest we were invited to build some Secondlife #pluginpv systems with a group of youngsters from Japan, France, Belarus and Germany who are there for a youth exchange.
Local residents will put them on their balconies.
DIY instructions: https://balkon.solar/news/2025/05/28/solar-secondlife-magazine-draft/
US non-profit @bright_saver has a tracker on #pluginpv bills in US states.
You can see where legislation is underway and not.
RE: https://freiburg.social/@balkonsolar/116300507885800917
Will #pluginpv pay fort itself in #Britain, even though it’s more cloudy than Germany? Short answer: YES!
We calculated cost recovery scenarios for #London and #Inverness: We took the average local electricity prices, assumed the system would cost around €500 or £430, which is a third more expensive than a comparable system in Germany. And for London we assumed south facing for Inverness west facing and hanging at 90° or horizontally.
In both scenarios we get cost recovery well within the lifespan of such a system. In London within five years and in Inverness in around 10 years.
Read the details on our website.
These #pluginpv systems repay themselves from less grid drawn electricity within 3 - 5 years in Germany.
You can add batteries and a sensor measuring how much your house needs - so you save what you produced during the day and use that at night. this makes the system more expensive. Usually something around 1000 EUR instead of 300 - 400.
Cost recovery is from 4 to 7 years.
But afterwards you save more money because you use more of your own electricity.
Again these systems are safe.
Mounting is available for different locations:
- flat roofs
- balcony including those with 35 cm thick walls/concrete
- as a table
- facade
- fence
in fact most #pluginsolar systems are not on the balcony but very often on flat roofs eg. garages or lawns.
to make it available we needed to only changes in the energy law but also adjust rental contract law & the condominium regulations:
But you may need more changes: permit less mounting, inclusion into liability insurance, loosening of monument protection.
For Consumers:
- choose brand name inverters such as Hoymiles
- use proper mounting
- enjoy
People in the #UnitedKingdom are all hyped up because the Government promised to legalise #pluginsolar (was it ever illegal?) - so before you rush to #LIDL & #Amazon - of all places - to buy #pluginpv please follow this guide from ze German NGO that helped to bring 4 Mio systems to Germany.
About 1,1 Mio systems are registered but for the consumer there is little benefit in registering, so market studies and our own research suggest take it x4 = ca 4 Mio systems. About ½ have a battery.
Usually these system consist of:
1 -4 solar panels
a microinverter
AC cable
DC cable
and mounting.
While the sun shines on the #solar panels and the micro inverter senses a grid (!) they push electricity via a standard plug and socket into your house and your devices use them.
This is safe if you stay below certain thresholds. In Germany VDE thinks not more than 800 W over a standard #Schuko Socket and not more than 960 WattPeak systems.
This is fairly conservative and designed with the oldest wires in mind, e.g. the 15% immediate post war 2-wire systems and not more modern 3-wire house installations.
We believe up to 2 kWp is usually safe.
More than 24 US states are considering bills that would make it easier for households to adopt #pluginsolar. #Illinois could be next to pass https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/balcony-solar-bill-gains-momentum-illinois
And in #California the bill for #pluginpv has passed unanimously out of the California Senate's Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee: https://www.pv-tech.org/california-moves-ahead-with-balcony-solar-bill/
We can have hope for #pluginpv progress in the #UK: Energy Secretary Ed #Miliband will/has/is:
“Announcing that “plug-in solar”, low cost solar panels that families can buy at supermarkets and put on their balconies or outdoor space, will be made available in the UK (…) The Government will work at pace with the relevant bodies, consumer groups and industry to introduce new standards and amend regulations to get these onto the market as soon as possible.”
If you ask, we are ready to support the work for such standards!
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-go-further-and-faster-in-becoming-energy-secure
Because it's difficult to track, where #pluginpv is legal in the #US 🇺🇸 and where we still need some legislative work, there is now a webpage dedicated to inform consumers.
What American utilities say happens when you install #pluginpv vs. what actually happens 🔙 the meter runs backwards!
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/12/nx-s1-5737287/solar-panels-utilities-energy-saving
For our website https://balkon.solar im collecting integrations and recipes for combining #HomeAssistant and #PlugInPv or small plug in batteries.
Is there anything I should include?
balkonsolar
