This text reflects the legal and regulatory situation as of 17th March 2025, the situation may change quickly. Germany ensures the safe use of balcony solar (“Balkonkraftwerk”) systems through power limits, built-in inverter safeguards, and proper installation practices. Plug-in PV units are limited to 800 W inverter maximum output and 2000 W solarpanel output specifically to prevent overloading household circuits. At these low outputs (600–800 W, ~2.6–3.5 A), the added current stays within wiring tolerances . Grid-tied microinverters include safety features (like anti-islanding) that automatically shut down if the grid goes down, preventing dangerous backfeed to external lines. A bigger safety concern in the discussion was that consumer could touch the exposed pins of the plug, when plugging it out. For some time special connectors (Wieland feed-in sockets) were recommended in Germany to physically lock the plug and avoid accidental unplugging or arcing, although the standard Schuko plug is tolerated for compliant devices, with saftey features such as double automatic off switch. Most consumers use the later, the obligation that some landords try to impose by mandating special plugs may not uphold if challenged in court. In practice, only one balcony PV unit should be connected per circuit (never via […]
