Comment on How I Installed DIY Solar Power and Started Running My House on Batteries

• BlueOysterCultist@lemmy.zip ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I have solar already and can’t wait to buy some balcony solar panels

  I’ve got a gazebo that’d be perfect to mount them on, and since my system has a house-backup battery I think it’d be a massive benefit for me (for the price)

  My whole system is 3.2 kWh so a 1.2 kWh system would be a huge boost on the cheap

  I think I could get at least 800w out of it with positioning so I could basically use my AC for a lot longer

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  • DrunkenPirate@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I recommend to buy a inverter-battery-combination which I have. It stores all the generated power (up to 4 panels possible with 2,4kwp max at all) while you can infuse 800 watt only maximum (Germany). The reduction is a safety for the power wires.

    In my setup, I harvest 1,8kwh in my battery until afternoon while constantly providing 150w into my house grid. This often reaches until 4am morning. My base consumption with electronics standby is around 220w even in the deepest night. So, I don’t deliver the peaks but a steady base stream.

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    • BlueOysterCultist@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I think it’d be redundant to get another battery when my whole house is already on a battery

      I’d love more storage capacity (only at ~9.5 kWh currently) but I don’t think it’s worth getting additional capacity unless the price is reallllllly good

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      • DrunkenPirate@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Yes and no. The bottleneck is the reduction of 800w for the Balcony System inverter. It won’t give you more, even with 4 panels attached.

        The inverter-battery-combi circumvents the reduction as all the extra power is stored in the included battery and transferred slowly into the house grid with said 800w.

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• Canconda@lemmy.ca ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  So the challenge with those is that they’re not legal in many places. In Canada our electric code requires everything be connected to the breaker box so that electricians can work safely knowing there is no current in the building.

  Strata’s also often require panels on railings be mounted flush, facing sideways instead of angled upwards.

  On that note, given where most balcony solar would be installed; changing bylaws to allow balcony shades and air drying launder would arguably reduce our energy costs significantly more than what energy solar panels on railings could harvest.

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  • DrunkenPirate@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I don’t know your local laws and current setup, but Balcony Solar typically aren‘t standalone setups.

    That means they need the frequency signal of your power current - 50hz in Germany. Without this they do not work. This is a safety measure to protect electricians while working.

    So called Island Systems work without the frequency signal only. They provide power even in a black out situation. Balcony Solar does not in gerneral.

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  • livligkinkajou@slrpnk.net ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    the challenge with balcony solar is that they’re not legal in many places

    That’s indeed a good point, which is why we should keep the pressure on it. We can already see some campaigns forming around its legalization in some states, as seen here

    There are some great resources there, so I’ll just copy some relevant information in case someone is interested:

    So why can’t you buy one in Canada?

    It isn’t dangerous and it isn’t banned. There just isn’t a Canadian rulebook for it yet. Canada’s own safety body has said these little plug-in systems fall outside its current rules, and the good news is that rulebook is finally being written. In January 2026 the country’s standards council started the process of adopting a national plug-in-solar safety standard

    Here’s how we change it.

    Canada needs two simple things. A safety stamp that says these systems are good to go, ideally a Canadian one rather than a borrowed one. And a plain rule that lets people plug a certified one in without a permit or a pile of utility paperwork. Both are already moving. Germany has plugged in more than a million of them, and Utah made it legal on a vote with nobody against. What gets it over the line here is enough of us asking.

    It’s safe, it’s proven, and it works everywhere it’s allowed.

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    • Canconda@lemmy.ca ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      The part your missing is why it’s illegal. Canadian electric code requires everything to go through the breaker box so that electricians can know there is no current in the building.

      So even if the rules are changed this introduces installation costs that could be prohibitive.

      A safety stamp that says these systems are good to go

      Of which there are current zero devices registered for legal sale in Canada, because of the code issues prescribed above.

      It’s safe, it’s proven, and it works everywhere it’s allowed.

      The problem is that plug in balcony solar is not considered safe according to our electrical code.

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      • livligkinkajou@slrpnk.net ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Is it illegal or is it not legalized? I think there might be a big difference between those two. Rules and codes can and do change all the time. Just look at UL 3700, which carries the ANSI/CAN/UL designation, signaling Canadian applicability.

        It might be even easier now that Canada is getting closer to the EU for it to follow some of their standards as well, like their plug in solar regulatory framework, specially seen that Canada is also a member of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), which also covers solar energy

        Plus any situation where they make balcony solar accessible will inherently mean rooftop solar becomes availabe and is clearly the more cost effective option.

        Keep in mind there are different situations that would greatly benefit from it, like those living in apartments, renters, or where replacing their roof structure for solar panels is more expensive than upgrading a circuit for plug in solar. The market is there, we just need to give it a push by making it legal

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