‘If 1.5m Germans have them there must be something in it’: how balcony solar is taking off : technology

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 43 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (18 children)

“Plug-in solar is part of the whole array of options,”

I don't understand how this works? For our system we need an inverter that cost about $3000.- (half if it doesn't have to handle a battery), and it needs to be installed by an authorized electrician.
For a small system as the one shown, the price of panels are peanuts, the 2 panels shown should cost less than $150 combined. While the cost of inverter and getting it connected is way way higher. There's a lot more to this than not being on the roof!?! But which isn't disclosed.

The article says nothing about how the power from those panels is made usable.

[–] Hugin@lemmy.world 11 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

There are two main inverter approaches. One big inverter that takes the DC from a bunch of panels and converts it into AC and micro inverters where each panel gets it's own small one placed directly under the panel.

The micro inverters cost around $150 each. So you need around 10 panels before the single inverter becomes a good choice.

Installers love the micro because the install is easier. However as a owner with say 30 panels you now have 30 points of possible failure instead of the 1.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

Oh boy, apparently there's a lot I don't know. It's really cool there are those cheaper options now.

[–] zergtoshi@lemmy.world 11 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Have a look here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balcony_solar_power

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 6 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

OK thanks, so they are indeed complete systems including inverter, so it can be connected to the grid.
I suppose they've made some cheap low power inverters then, but the power still needs to have stable voltage an frequency and synchronization. So I wonder how cheap it's possible to make?
I also suppose it still needs an authorized electrician to connect it? Unless Germany has some fancy system that is prepared for "plug in" connection of a local power source.

[–] kalleboo@lemmy.world 13 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

In the EU, as long as it's under 800W it can be plugged directly into an outlet in your home without any kind of installation, back-feeding the grid that way.

You're not getting paid anything for the power you send back into the grid so anything you don't use you lose.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 7 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Still very cool, because selling surplus power is almost completely worthless anyway. (at least it is here)
In the summer when you can sell, prices are generally extremely low, we have sold about twice what we use, but the value of selling is only about 5-10% on average, compared to the savings of using it ourselves. That's because the price often drop to close to zero in the middle of the day, and sometimes even below.
Electricity itself is dirt cheap, the reason the prices are high are transportation and taxes, and short peak prices in the evening. Here transportation alone is more than the electricity itself during winter.
And we are only paid the pure electricity price here, which I suppose is the case most places.

[–] genevieve@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

It literally plugs into the wall.

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

If you pay 3000€ for an inverter then that's probably included installing and whatnot. You can get a cheap 50€ 4kW inverter on aliexpress, or an expensive 500€ 10kW one.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 6 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

No the price was not including installation, We have 11.2 kW panels and 7.5 kWh batteries. Installation was almost $5000.- !! That was probably mostly the 28 panels on the roof. But we had one installer handling everything, who was also responsible for the electrician.

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[–] sirico@feddit.uk 49 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In b4 nimbys complain it's an eyesore despite most people never looking up

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[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 12 points 21 hours ago

Wait that’s a thing?

Holy shit that a thing!? That’s awesome!!

[+] meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works -9 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

The relentless march of sustainable cosplay continues. A million Germans clinging to plasticky solar trinkets like rosary beads against energy insecurity—how very on-brand for a nation that dismantled nuclear plants to cozy up with Putin’s pipelines. Nothing screams “green revolution” like propping up coal while bureaucrats hyperventilate over balcony wattage permits.

But sure, let’s pretend these glorified battery chargers absolve collective guilt. Social media’s latest performative ritual—slap a panel on your railing, flood Instagram with hashtags, ignore the 14-month waiting list for certified installers. Peak late-stage decarbonization theater: all aesthetics, no grid.

At least it’s honest. We’ve stopped pretending policy can fix anything. Why demand competent governance when you can DIY your dystopia?

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[–] Septimaeus@infosec.pub 5 points 21 hours ago

Would be nice if grid tied inverters weren’t such a regulatory PITA. Micro-deployment solar, and more importantly distributed energy storage, makes so much sense and could solve a lot of grid-related problems.

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