this post was submitted on 01 May 2025
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I've always wondered, how does balcony solar work? Are you charging a large battery and using said battery?
That article says you just plug it into an outlet. Is it a special outlet of some kind?
I'm just one of today's lucky 10,000 and want to learn about it.
It's a regular German outlet, but they would be more comparable to a drier outlet here in the US, although without being rated for such high loads as an american clothes drier.
As another commenter said, They're used to cover the base load of lights, fridge, small electronics. Most all of these systems won't have any battery storage so the power either gets used in the moment by the home, or exported to the utility. That part isnt really any different from a typical solar installation in the US. They're just smaller systems so it's more accessible to lower income people and people that live in apartments.
US utilities often have anti islanding rules, so power is not allowed to be fed back into the utility without specific equipment designed to stop power flowing back when the grid is down.
Is this part of german systems, or is it simplified?
The systems don't output power until they sense a grid connection, and cut power immediately if the grid goes down.
Sounds like they are almost ready to go for most US requirements then. Some voltage tweeks and a plug change and we got something cooking.
That plus changes to laws in most states. Utah is the only place that allows this type of grid tied solar without permits, new meter, etc. Hopefully more states will follow soon