A balcony photo voltaic set up in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany. © Andek/Wikimedia Commons
Traditionally, photo voltaic panels haven’t all the time been possible in city environments resulting from spacing points. Nonetheless, new photo voltaic expertise has just lately emerged that may present renewable power even in restricted areas.
Balcony photo voltaic panels are compact (300–800 watt) plug-in programs consisting of some PV panels that may be coupled with an inverter and/or battery storage. The programs are designed to be modular and might be fastened upon balcony railings, partitions, or stands. As such, they’re most often put in on multifamily condo and condominium buildings.
There are a number of advantages to putting in balcony photo voltaic panels. Like conventional rooftop photo voltaic, they scale back power payments and reliance on the facility grid. For instance, one proprietor interviewed by a German information outlet stated he can produce sufficient photo voltaic for half of his household’s each day wants. When in comparison with rooftop photo voltaic, balcony photo voltaic doesn’t disrupt current buildings or require entry to a roof, fixing two main points that include conventional photo voltaic panels.
Moreover, balcony photo voltaic is considerably cheaper than rooftop photo voltaic. Differing fashions vary in value from round $400–$2,000, relying on the dimensions of the system. In distinction, rooftop photo voltaic installations can value tens of hundreds of {dollars} and can now be much more costly with the upcoming termination of federal tax credit.
However, there’s a noteworthy draw back to balcony photo voltaic—the panels’ small dimension means they produce considerably much less power than conventional panels. Furthermore, some balconies could have much less publicity to daylight than a rooftop would have, resulting from shading from larger condo items or close by buildings and/or being north-facing. This leads to extra modest utility invoice financial savings, so balcony photo voltaic is probably not well worth the funding for some condo homeowners.
Whereas balcony photo voltaic panels haven’t taken off but within the US, they’ve develop into extensively in style in elements of Europe, notably Germany. Germany presently has round 550,000 balcony photo voltaic programs put in, and added 200 MW within the first half of 2024 alone. That is partially as a result of condo dwellers comprise greater than half the inhabitants of Germany, and partially as a result of the expertise helps fight elevated power costs following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many German cities provide subsidies for balcony photo voltaic, as nicely, making the programs much more reasonably priced for shoppers.
Conversely, the US has only a few balcony photo voltaic programs put in. That is largely resulting from poor laws that haven’t stored tempo with rising photo voltaic applied sciences. Electrical interconnection settlement laws govern how electricity-generating sources, similar to photo voltaic panels, connect with the facility grid. In practically each state, these laws embody balcony photo voltaic panels, forcing balcony photo voltaic homeowners to stick to strict necessities designed for bigger photo voltaic tasks. Not solely does this make balcony photo voltaic harder to put in however additionally it is an pointless measure for a house system of such small wattage. Additional balcony photo voltaic has not been authorised to adjust to the Nationwide Electrical Code or an Underwriters Laboratories normal—key security certifications that might spark extra curiosity amongst condo homeowners and make them simpler to realize.
Enhancing laws to appropriately cowl balcony photo voltaic panels would assist the expertise achieve traction within the U.S., thereby opening new avenues for renewable power in city environments. One California startup, Vibrant Saver, for instance, gives a real-world answer for this drawback. The corporate has begun putting in balcony photo voltaic programs and advertising them as home equipment, quite than development tasks, to bypass strict municipal allowing necessities.
To keep away from state interconnection necessities, Vibrant Saver makes use of advanced power screens that stop any surplus electrical energy from flowing again into the grid. Sadly, such measures are costly and time-consuming, demonstrating the necessity for improved regulatory requirements. By updating laws to maintain tempo with technological developments, the US can and will observe Germany’s lead and reap the advantages of balcony photo voltaic programs.
In regards to the Writer
Elle is pursuing a level in philosophy on the College of Texas at Austin, with a minor in Authorities and a Enterprise Spanish certificates, and plans to construct a profession in worldwide environmental regulation. She is a analysis affiliate for Texas Photo voltaic Power Society, the place she primarily analyzes quite a lot of legislative and technological matters. As well as, she has interned with a London-based world sustainable consultancy and performed different power analysis for the regulatory division of {an electrical} engineering agency.
