Balkonkraftwerk (Balcony Power Station)
phaidenbauer • 29 Jan 2024 •
Recently I got a pretty big electric bill and have an additional payment of more than €300. I’ve been calculating around mounting two solar panels on my balcony in the past, but always thought about the hassle of mounting them and buying them. Well, that huge power bill (in total more than €1500) and having no tax on solar panels anymore (a new kind of grant, instead of getting money back, you save on not paying 20% tax) it was finally time to buy them.
They turned out a little bit larger than I thought, and it was quite a challenge to get them onto the 3rd floor my Apartment sits on. After some quick fiddling around I was able to plug in the first panel without problems and now part of my electric power consumption is already handled by that panel. Sure, it is a hacky solution for this week, but my dad will come along on the weekend so we can properly mount them.
Of course, it will be a while before I’ll be net positive on money, but it is still better than nothing. I’ll keep you updated on how much it produces.
Comments
Luckily, the balcony is south side, so sun exposure throughout the whole day. Another lucky thing, balcony power stations can be done without permit and are heavily encouraged nowadays, so my neighbors can’t do anything about it.
@phaidenbauer Do it’s like a rig that you install out from your window? How does it look like? Super curious… might be a good idea for sunny Singapore
It’s not so easy, as the panels are rather large (176 centimeters by 113 centimeters). I’ve sent you an image on Telegram. Will post here as soon as they are fully mounted.
Hopefully, you get enough sun exposure to make solar panels worth the effort/cost. I hope the apartment complex management approves of such a modification.