The availability of electricity and the schedule of outages have become everyday topics during conversations at the market or when meeting friends. If diesel and gasoline generators were popular during the first war winter, now solar power plants are increasingly being installed. One of these types is balcony plants.
Balcony solar power plants (Balcony Solar Power Plants) are compact power generation systems installed on balconies or terraces. They allow the use of solar energy to partially meet the electricity needs of small spaces or household appliances. Their popularity is growing due to their ease of installation, affordability, and ability to reduce electricity costs.
In Ukraine, these solutions are mostly isolated. In Ukraine, such solutions exist in Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne. Perhaps in other communities as well.
Technical aspects
The systems that are popular especially in Germany, with about 2 Mio installations, consist of a micro inverter and solar pannels. Their popularity is due to the fact that they repay their installations cost in three to five years and then consumers start saving money. However these systems are designed to input electricity into an existing grid and the inverters turn themselves off, when there is no grid. This is due to electrical safety.
For Ukrainian consumers more concerned with electricity avalibility then with costs, the Emergency Power functions of small battery based systems are attractive.
The principle of the balcony solar power plant is identical to the usual one. Solar panels convert solar energy into electricity, then the inverter converts it into electricity that powers devices and controls processes. And batteries (if available) store electricity and release it when needed.
There is no particular difference in which panels to use. However, you need to take into account the weight and dimensions. After all, there are balconies that are not designed for a significant additional load, or may already have less strength due to their service life.
Practical guide „Sustainable solutions for green reconstruction: solar energy on your own balcony“ clarifies opportunities and advantages generations electricity balcony sunny power plants , and also describes equipment their installation and installation in Ukrainian.
The video instruction for installing a hybrid balcony solar station clearly demonstrates the sequence of connecting all elements of a balcony solar station. The Material was produced as part of a Project founded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Kiev.
Legislative aspects in Ukraine: hanging solarpanels to a balcony
Rules for the maintenance of residential buildings and adjacent territories, approved by the Order of the State Committee of Ukraine for Housing and Communal Services dated 17.05.2005 No. 76 , the norms of which do not directly regulate the issue of installing solar panels on the facades and balconies of buildings. In particular, we are primarily talking about clause 1.4. of these Rules.
In fact, these rules gave the opportunity to local councils to develop regulations on the procedure for placing technical elements (devices) on the facades and exterior parts of buildings. However, not all communities took advantage of this opportunity and regulated this issue. In some communities, the placement of technical elements (devices) on the facades and exterior parts of buildings takes place after obtaining a permit. For example, in Lviv, the Regulations on the procedure for placing technical elements (devices) on the facades and exterior parts of buildings and structures on the territory of the city of Lviv, approved by the decision of the executive committee of the Lviv City Council dated February 1, 2002 No. 28, are still in force.
Most of the above provisions are intended by the local government to avoid distortion of the appearance or concepts of historical areas in certain parts of the cities. For example, in Lutsk, there is a Procedure for maintaining the facades of buildings and structures on the territory of historical areas of the city of Lutsk and cultural heritage sites outside their borders.
It should be noted that such provisions have not become a „mass phenomenon“ throughout the country, however, if you carefully read the local rules in the field of landscaping, it is quite possible to find among the paragraphs, clauses, and subclauses of local rules a certain line devoted to regulating the process of installing air conditioners on the facades of buildings.
Grid Connection
Another important legislative aspect arises if you connect your solar power system to the apartment’s general electricity supply network.
Transferring electricity to the public grid is a technically simple process, but it can cause difficulties from an organizational and legal point of view. If you consume more electricity than the solar panels produce, there are no problems. For example, if the air conditioner consumes 700 W, and the panels produce 500 W, then the difference of 200 W will be covered by electricity from the city grid.
However, the situation becomes more complicated when the system generates more energy than it uses. For example, on a sunny day when no one is home and all electrical appliances are turned off. A conventional meter records the total energy flow, so in this case you may pay for the excess energy that is transmitted to the network as consumed, which is not profitable for you.
There are several approaches to solving this problem:
- Installing a generation limiter that will ensure the supply of energy only for the operation of household appliances.
- Replacing the metering unit with the installation of a bidirectional meter and concluding an agreement with the energy supply company. In this case, you can even receive income at a „green“ tariff. But the meter costs money and work too, so you need to carefully calculate economically whether this makes sense.
- Installing a battery to store excess energy during the day for later use at night/during outages.
What are they for?
Let’s say practically that it is unlikely that it will be possible to power the electric batteries in the apartment or the air conditioner for heating the air from the balcony solar power station. The power of electrical appliances for heating an average apartment is 6-8 kW, and the average power of the power station on the loggia is usually between 0.3-0.8 kW. That is, in fact, such stations can provide power only for minimal needs: Gas boiler automation, a router for Internet access, lighting. At the same time, in order for the station to work during power outages, you need to have a battery. The size of the battery will affect what can be powered from the station and for how long. But at the same time, the larger the battery, the more expensive it is.
Main characteristics of balcony solar stations:
Compact: Typically consisting of one or more solar panels, mountings, an inverter, and cables, their size is optimized for installation in a limited space, such as a balcony or facade.
Easy installation: Balcony solar panels are installed without complex technical work and do not require permits in many cases. The panels can be fixed to balcony railings, walls or suspended structures.
Power: The power of such stations usually varies from 300 to 800 Wp. This is enough to power household devices for example, lighting, charging gadgets, operating a refrigerator or other low-consumption appliances.
Grid connection: Some models are equipped with microinverters that allow the station to be connected directly to the household electricity grid through a regular socket. This allows the electricity produced to be consumed in real time.
Cost: Balcony solar power plants are a relatively inexpensive solution compared to larger solar systems. Their price usually starts from 300–1000 euros depending on the capacity and configuration.
Mobility: Such stations can be easily dismantled and moved to another location. This is convenient for apartment tenants or those who frequently change their place of residence or want to take it with them to work, camping.
Advantages of balcony solar stations:
Energy independence: Reducing electricity consumption from the central grid, which helps save money.
Environmental friendliness: Reducing carbon emissions and using renewable energy.
Accessibility: Ease of installation makes them accessible even to those without specialized knowledge in the energy sector.
Emergency support: In the event of a centralized power outage, it is possible to partially ensure the operation of necessary devices.
Limitations of balcony solar stations:
Low power: They are only suitable for basic needs and cannot completely replace conventional power supply.
Dependence on conditions: Their efficiency depends on the location of the balcony, the angle of the panels and the duration of sunlight. For example, on balconies facing north, the performance will be low.
Legal aspects: In some countries or residential complexes, there may be restrictions on the installation of such systems.
Usage in Ukraine:
In Ukraine, balcony solar power plants are a promising solution for apartment buildings where residents do not have the opportunity to install large ground- or rooftop solar power plants. They can be an important step towards energy independence and savings in the face of rising electricity tariffs.
Thus, balcony solar stations are a convenient and environmentally friendly solution for generating electricity in urban environments with limited space.
This article was written by Dmytro Sakaliuk an energy efficiency and renewable energy sources expert from Eco Club Riwne. It was made possible by a grant from Baden-Württemberg foundation.
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