Waldo JaquithJul 30, 2024
This is brilliant. In Germany, it's popular to buy €200 solar panel / inverter combos that plug into a nearby power outlet, feeding the power back into the grid, running their power meter backwards. "Installation" just takes a minute. Folks in apartments simply hang them from their balcony “like wet laundry.” Over 500,000 have been sold. With power at €0.25/kWh, the payback time is about 27 months—after that, it's just free electricity. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/29/business/germany-solar-panels-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1._E0.zL83.1FCeoxOrFDBY&smid=url-share
Germans Combat Climate Change With D.I.Y. Solar Panels

Plug-and-play solar panels are popping up in yards and on balcony railings across Germany, driven by bargain prices and looser regulations.

The New York Times
Show threadIan DeesJul 30, 2024

@waldoj at https://www.reddit.com/r/SolarDIY/comments/yj6kdo/balcony_pv_in_the_us/ they say:

> Balkonsolar is probably OK in Germany because the lines are buried and they don't have unexpected outages. Plus I believe the (required!) meters are regulated and won't feed the grid if no grid voltage is detected.

Very German

Show threadWaldo JaquithJul 30, 2024
@ian Ah-ha!
Show threadNelson MinarJul 30, 2024
@waldoj @ian we could totally do this kind of easy home solar in the US. The microinverters with the systems shut themselves off when the grid is down. From what I've read the big impediments are utility contracts (regulatory capture) and building codes (regulatory inflexibility).
Show threadNelson MinarJul 30, 2024
@waldoj @ian a key thing is the German systems are limited to 600W, soon 800W. That's enough to power your baseline load but isn't anything like the 10kW rooftop systems that we favor in the US. Those really require more grid cooperation, something California has just about exhausted.
Show threadIan Dees
@nelson @waldoj yup the US has had the tech to make it safe for quite some time. It's just not in the interest of the grid providers to make it work.
Jul 30, 2024 at 2:43pmWeb