"600 watt balcony power plant ready to plug in as a complete set" - This can be purchased today even in discount stores. Just last year there was a boom in the field of balcony power plants and also this year the uncomplicated solar plants are attractive for tenants:inside.
What you need to know about balcony power plants
Balcony power plants are small photovoltaic systems that can be placed on balconies, roofs or in the garden without much bureaucracy and installation effort. The electricity produced by the power plant can be fed into the household grid via a normal wall socket. There, the solar power has priority over conventional power, so that the power consumption from external sources is reduced. This protects the environment and is easy on the wallet.
To install a balcony power plant, all you need is a solar panel with mounting and an inverter. You live in a rented apartment? A landlord's permit is not mandatory for the installation of the balcony module, but it is recommended. Finally, the balcony power plant must be registered: The free registration must be done firstly with the grid operator and secondly with the market master data register. Note also: Currently there are many subsidies for the private use of solar systems. So find out about them, too, to save further costs.
Solar system on the roof of an intergenerational residential complex
At the Generationenhof Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate, solar power is generated on a larger scale: the two roofs are home to around 130 solar modules that produce 43,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. Despite the higher investment sum, no rents had to be increased. On the contrary, the solar system manages to reduce ancillary costs. In order to use as much electricity as possible themselves, storage modules are in use. For the purchases, the Generationenhof has attached importance to low-maintenance equipment without critical raw materials and from German production.
About the interview guests
In this podcast episode, we were pleased to welcome Katharina Wawer and Amina Günter from Netzwerk Energiewende Jetzt e.V.. The two organized a series of workshops in 2022 entitled "Women for the energy transition - balcony modules for climate protection". The association supports energy cooperatives in their further development, for example with the expansion of solar or wind energy or car sharing.
Luise Hentschel and Wodi Hutter from the Generationenhof Landau were with us. The Generationenhof Landau is a housing project of the housing cooperative LAWOGE. "Not living next to each other, but with each other" is the motto here. In summer 2021, the Generationenhof realized the solar project "So(lar) wollen wir leben!".
A solar power system is not possible for you? Then switch to real green electricity
If you can't operate a solar system yourself, you still have the option of purchasing green electricity with the Grüner Strom-Label and thus promoting the energy transition. The seal of approval obligates energy providers to spend a fixed amount per kilowatt hour of electricity consumed on nature conservation or energy transition projects. In total, more than 1,800 support projects with a volume of over 90 million euros have already been realized. The projects presented in the podcast were funded as part of this investment commitment.
