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 threadFlorian Schmidt
@waldoj
That's right, many cities even subsidize the "balcony power plants" to become more resilient, driving down payback time even more.
There were many fights with German technology angst though (and powers that be), @balkonsolar has much background info on this.
Jul 30, 2024 at 6:39pmWeb