Hi,
Has anyone come across DIY balcony solar panels?
These are solar panel kits you can buy that plug into a regular electrical wall outlet. They have become very popular in Germany, particularly those living in rented accommodation as you can easily take the panels with you when you move and currently generate 200MW nationwide.
They are legal in Germany and some other EU countries as of 2019 and do not require an electrician to install or certify them so long as the inverter meets the standards (makes sure there's an incoming 50hz signal etc), it connects to a regular electrical outlet, and the maximum wattage is 800w. You simply need to fill out a form similar to our NC6 form but it does not require an electrician to sign it. Germany makes a distinction between these small 800w DIY systems and much larger roof solar panels and introduced a separate form for them. The whole process can be done by the end user.
These kits are currently not legal in Ireland. For one, an NC6 would have to be filled out and that requires a SafeElectric registered electrician to sign it, which defeats the point of these kits which is they are self-install. But I am wondering whether anyone knows of any other reasons why these could not be permitted in Ireland one day.
One issue I am concerned about is the power injection via a regular plug socket. Could this cause any particular problems for us that Germany does not also face? Do you reckon that this is something that could prevent these kits from ever becoming legal here?
Has anyone come across DIY balcony solar panels?
These are solar panel kits you can buy that plug into a regular electrical wall outlet. They have become very popular in Germany, particularly those living in rented accommodation as you can easily take the panels with you when you move and currently generate 200MW nationwide.
They are legal in Germany and some other EU countries as of 2019 and do not require an electrician to install or certify them so long as the inverter meets the standards (makes sure there's an incoming 50hz signal etc), it connects to a regular electrical outlet, and the maximum wattage is 800w. You simply need to fill out a form similar to our NC6 form but it does not require an electrician to sign it. Germany makes a distinction between these small 800w DIY systems and much larger roof solar panels and introduced a separate form for them. The whole process can be done by the end user.
These kits are currently not legal in Ireland. For one, an NC6 would have to be filled out and that requires a SafeElectric registered electrician to sign it, which defeats the point of these kits which is they are self-install. But I am wondering whether anyone knows of any other reasons why these could not be permitted in Ireland one day.
One issue I am concerned about is the power injection via a regular plug socket. Could this cause any particular problems for us that Germany does not also face? Do you reckon that this is something that could prevent these kits from ever becoming legal here?
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