With “balkonkraftwerk”, German renters have access to solar power

This story was originally by cried And here as part of Weather table cooperation.

Mathias Weiland is in love For people to ask about his balcony. A pair of solar panels hang from the railing, casting a dark blue glow on the red brick of his apartment building. They are connected to a microinverter plugged into a wall outlet and deliver electricity directly to his home. On a sunny day, he generates enough power to meet half of his family’s daily needs.

Wieland is one of hundreds of thousands who have been accepted across Germany Balcony power plantor solar balcony. Unlike rooftop photovoltaics, this technology does not require users to own their home, and anyone who can plug in a device can operate it. Most people buy simple hardware online or at the supermarket for about $550.

Ease of installation and a strong combination of government policies to encourage adoption have made small arrays very popular. More than 550,000 of them are dotted in cities and towns across the country, with half of those installed by 2023. In the first half of this year, Germany added 200 MW of balcony solar. Regulations limit each system to just 800 watts, enough to power a mini-fridge or charge a laptop, but the cumulative effect is pushing the country toward clean energy goals while helping apartment dwellers, who make up more than half the population. make up an easy task. A way to save money and deal with the climate crisis

“I love being able to charge a bike when the sun is shining, or turn on the washing machine when the sun is shining and know it’s coming straight from the sun,” Weiland said. “It’s a small step you can take as a tenant, and an act of self-reliance, rather than sitting back and waiting for the climate crisis to get worse.”

“It makes energy transfer seem a little more concrete and less abstract.”

Balcony solar emerged about a decade ago, but didn’t catch on until four or five years ago, thanks in part to years of lobbying by solar and clean energy advocates for policies to boost its adoption. The German government enacted the first technical regulations for plug-in solar devices in 2019, allowing balcony solar systems to use standard power plugs and feed into the grid. This led to an influx of plug-in devices and fans to promote the technology.

The pandemic helped boost popularity as people spent time at home working on DIY projects. More recently, rising energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have made Germans more likely to consider using balcony solar power. “People did everything they could to lower their energy bills,” says Wolfgang Grundinger, who works with the clean energy company Enpal.

Federal and local policymakers have redoubled their efforts to make the technology more accessible. In April, the government eased licensing and registration requirements, and in July, federal lawmakers passed tenant protection laws that prevent landlords from arbitrarily blocking facilities. Cities across Germany, including Berlin and Wieland’s hometown of Kiel, have offered millions of euros in subsidies for balcony solar installations.

Grundinger and experts from the German Solar Industry Association noted that these devices do not generate enough energy to strain the grid, and their standardized design and safety features allow them to be easily and easily integrated.

Despite the hype, most users agree that balcony solar saves money and energy. Weyland spent about $530 for its 600-watt system. While he is happy with the performance of his south-facing panels in fair weather, such days are rare in northern Germany. He estimates he’ll save about $100 a year in electricity costs and recoup his investment in about five years.

That’s fairly common, though proponents of the technology say a system’s efficiency—and thus, payback timeline—varies greatly depending on the number of panels, their location and orientation, and the amount of shade that surrounds them. According to Peter Stratmann, head of renewable energy at Germany’s Federal Grid Agency, the country’s water and electricity regulator, a family with a “relatively large balcony system conveniently located in a sunny south-facing spot” could get 15 percent of its electricity from solar. produce a balcony

While this can put a dent in a household’s utility bill, the impact on German consumption is much smaller. “Even if we were to attach panels to all suitable balconies across the country, we would still only meet 1 percent or less of our total energy needs,” Stratmann told DW.

So if balcony solar doesn’t generate a lot of electricity or save a lot of money, why are so many people flocking to it? Many of them like the idea of ​​generating energy at home and gaining some independence from the grid. It also provides a concrete way to take climate action. “It makes the energy transition seem a little more tangible and less abstract,” said Helena Holnoger of the non-profit organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe, or Environmental Action Germany. He installed a balcony solar system on top of his garage about a year ago. “You literally can do something about it.”

Holnoger and others who have gone solar say balcony solar has led them to reevaluate their understanding of electricity use and take steps to reduce it. “For a lot of people, energy is just something that comes out of your socket,” Hollnoger said. “You never think about how it gets there or how it works.”

These systems don’t include battery storage, so the water they produce must be used immediately, allowing people to schedule the best time to turn on the washing machine, for example, to ensure they’re using renewable energy. In this way, it becomes something like a game. Many balcony solar kits have a program to track daily energy production, providing what has become a scorecard for many. “They take screenshots of it, send it to their Facebook groups, family WhatsApp groups. “They are incredibly proud,” Grundinger said.

Germany is unique in its furious embrace of technology. Although increasingly popular in Austria, the Netherlands, France and other parts of Europe, plug-in solar devices are not viable in the United States due to costly licensing requirements and other local regulations. Beyond that, most systems are designed to European electrical standards, making them incompatible with US power systems.

But even in Germany, balcony solar still faces obstacles, including stiff resistance from homeowners who worry about electrical fires or are put off by the panels’ aesthetics. Last year, Wieland sued his building’s property management company for imposing unreasonable requirements to install a system, including a formal inspection of the building’s electrical system. A court ruled in his favor in October 2023, but similar cases keep popping up.

Weyland hopes that will soon change as more people use balcony solar. Now, people in his life regularly ask him about his panels, and two friends are buying their own systems.

“A lot of people in our neighborhood talk to me and ask about the system when they see it,” Weiland said. “It’s kind of like a snowball that just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”