Plug in Balcony solar systems

madhatter76 · 13-08-2019 8:26pm #1

Hi, just came in germany accrosss something they call the "next big thing"

https://www.solarmodul-steckdose.de/
https://www.alpha-solar.info/photovoltaik/ohne-Einspeisung/basic/

"Small" solar panels and holder sets for balconies or apartment walls that you just plug into an existing power plug at home.

There was one with 1240W for only 1139EUR

Thought I share that since I definetly like the idea but cant see something like tis coming to here.

Akrasia · 13-08-2019 9:19pm

unkel wrote: »

Good idea. The cheaper ones with one panel are good value and actually make even economic sense. If you have a south-ish facing balcony and the base load of your apartment / house is around 270W or more, it means that you will use all production of this system yourself

The panel will generate about 270kWh per year, at 18c/kWh this saves €49 per year. With the system costing €329, it will pay for itself in 6.5 years

Linky to the €329 system

Without a battery to store the energy when you’re not using it during the day would a lot of this energy just be wasted?

unkel · 13-08-2019 9:24pm

Nope, you're not getting my point. The base load of the house is what you always use. Like the fridge, appliances on stand bye, appliances like chargers etc that use electricity even if they're not "in use"

Most houses have a base load of about 350W, you'd have to measure but it could very well be that most apartments have something like 270W. So that means that even when the panel is working at peak efficiency, so producing 270W, all of it will be used by the apartment

On a different note, I doubt this product complies with the eccentric Irish requirements the ESB have for inverters...

n97 mini · 13-08-2019 9:28pm

Akrasia wrote: »

Without a battery to store the energy when you’re not using it during the day would a lot of this energy just be wasted?

With such a small system very little will go back into the grid, especially outside of summer months.

madhatter76 · 13-08-2019 9:29pm

Maybe a bit of more pressure from the EU
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+MOTION+B7-2013-0388+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

European Parliament resolution on microgeneration - small-scale electricity and heat generation (2012/2930(RSP))

I mean if the Germans get this done .. you know the Germans !!!!

unkel · 13-08-2019 9:30pm

Had another look at the ad, and it looks like this is just the panel + micro inverter. The kit to fix this to your balcony is not included. Even the power cable is an optional extra

uck51js9zml2yt · 15-08-2019 12:11am

Will these work here?

unkel · 15-08-2019 12:59am

Of course. It's just a solar panel and a micro inverter. If you secure the panel properly to your balcony, and then use a cable to connect the micro inverter to any 3 pin socket in your home, it will work. It might not be officially compliant though.

JJJJNR · 25-08-2019 4:52pm

So is this just plug and play or does it need any additional work. How would I get it delivered.

Would be very interested, would it qualify for a grant.

30-08-2019 2:43am

madhatter76 wrote: »

There was one with 1240W for only 1139EUR

I have a 1kWp hardwired ground array system on a "plug-in" inverter.
I think I'm about €450 into it. Works great. Non-compliant with Éire EN-wossit wossit.
Has to be hard-wired with disconnects to meet regulations. Definitely won't meet grant requirements.
From the quotes I've seen it's cheaper not use a lot of SEAI affiliated installers and forego the grant.
Also cheaper give power to the grid than keep 80% usable in a battery that'll never pay for itself.

unkel · 30-08-2019 9:40am

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

From the quotes I've seen it's cheaper not use a lot of SEAI affiliated installers and forego the grant.

Unless you go for a 4kwp system with a battery for about €6k (€10k before grant)

You'd spent the guts of €5k in materials if you were to do it DIY

The grant is extremely generous and there are (a few) SEAI installers out there who won't rip you off...

So that's the optimal system from a ROI point of view if you are going with the grant. That said payback still likely to be 15-20 years. Payback on a simple 500wp DIY system from second hand parts that covers your base load is more in the order of 7-8 years

30-08-2019 11:46am

Haha, nah...I can do it for < 5k€ before the grant.
You know how much 2kWh of lead acid costs?

unkel · 30-08-2019 1:32pm

With lithium that is Liam

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

You know how much 2kWh of lead acid costs?

Dunno, but I got 20kWh of lead acid sitting here waiting to be deployed in a home attached battery and I got it for nothing

30-08-2019 1:39pm

Exactly. Spend the grant on solar panels.
There is no battery system tech that can beat utility power or give any ROI (when you look at the data not the marketing figures).

I can't understand why there's such an uptake of DFA li-ion boxes, all they do is reduce system efficiency and prevent power going to the grid that could be offsetting utility generators. I guess customers aren't doing their homework.

Seems that people think that keeping 80% of their power generated for themselves at massive expense is considered greener than putting 100% to use on the country's grid. Not helped by the fact that SEAI are supporting this attitude.

unkel · 30-08-2019 2:07pm

The only guilty party here is the government for not introducing a reasonable FIT or net metering. Probably cheaper for the tax payer than all these grants that mainly go towards the installers profit...

30-08-2019 2:59pm

Indeed I've noticed that the grant goes in most installers' pockets. I can build their (non-compliant) systems for less than the after grant cost.
One chancer was charging me €1000 for design after I gave him the system schematics.
€1 p/m solar cable? I can get that for half that!

I guess they have a lottov sales and marketing staff to pay.

FIT will come, we can't keep beating flint stones forever. EU will force us to stop messin' with imported dino-juice...

We're so far behind the times it's embarrassing.

unkel · 30-08-2019 3:17pm

Not all SEAI installers are bad though. The one quote I got from save me money wind and solar (for a battery install only) was very reasonable with the parts prices. You'll be impressed that they recommended the Pylontech US3000, not its cheaper little brother

30-08-2019 3:20pm

He made the short list, but he's cautious because nobody does the cheapest back-up option in the installer guide and I'm building the BESS because nothing on the market has impressed me.
Top tip don't grid-tie (immediately) and then grid compliance isn't an issue.

Plug in Balcony solar systems

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