Comment on Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them
coyootje@lemmy.world 3 days agoGermany has a lot of plug-in solar for balconies (Balkonkraftwerke) and it’s available at very cheap prices (example here). I know it only provides up to 800W on a very sunny day but that’s still a significant amount for an apartment. And the beauty of these is that they are so plug-and-play, everything is included. You hang it, connect the cables and plug it into a socket and then you’re done.
I live in the Netherlands but I’ve been seriously considering picking up one of these if my building HoA doesn’t want to do a rooftop solar project for our building.
artyom@piefed.social 3 days ago
Yes, that was mentioned in the OP as well as the comment you replied to.
DrunkenPirate@feddit.org 2 days ago
Just bought one two months ago and it’s pretty easy. Technical progress is fast and it’s cheap.
You best buy a combi: a battery including a microinverter. This allows you to feed in up to 2000W or 4 PV panels. However, here in Germany you can only feed 800W max into your house grid. All above will stored in the battery in given back slowly after sundown.
Technical setup: I have three current lines in my house (don’t know how in US it looks) and the system feeds power into just one of it - the one where the plug is plugged. I have a smart meter that tells me if this very current line has demand (oven, fridge,…) and I can open, adjust or close the power feed. This way I feed ZERO power into the grid out of my home as the system adjust the power amount to what I need in this moment.
I bought mine with 2 panels, 900W, 1,8kWh battery for 700€. Payback under 2 years.
artyom@piefed.social 2 days ago
Cool?
DrunkenPirate@feddit.org 2 days ago
I love it.