The whole truth about MINI-PHOTOVOLTAIC for BALCONY PLUG & PLAY for condominiums
1. What is mini-photovoltaic for balconies and how does it work?
The balcony mini photovoltaic is composed of a single photovoltaic module combined with a micro inverter directly on board the module itself capable of converting the continuous energy produced by the panel into alternating energy. The energy reaches the home through a simple plug that is inserted into a domestic socket.
2. Do you need permissions?
Well, with the brand new energy decree, which must be converted by the end of June 2022 it is true, a municipal permit is not needed but, as for many other plants, the regulations in force must be respected, first of all the condominium ones, and the communication must be made to the network manager of your system. So no, it's not bureaucracy-free
3. How does it connect at home?
Up to 350 W, all you need is a declaration to the manager, and that's it, while from 350 to 800 W, in addition to the communication to the manager, you need to have the declaration of conformity which certifies the system and the wiring diagram.
Just plug it into a plug?
Yes, but be careful which plug you plug it into, in fact it must be on a line protected by a relative thermal magneto. We have already dealt with this discussion in the single-phase vs three-phase video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bxuDPpgPwg) but basically you must know that, depending on the cable section, it can pass up to X ampère of current .
You must therefore connect your micro-photovoltaic to a dedicated plug whose section and loads you know to avoid MINIMUM risk of damage.
4. How much does the balcony mini photovoltaic cost?
The cost varies depending on the "kits" on the market and, obviously, on the quality of the modules. We are between 400 and 600 € per module.
On this expense, however, there is the benefit of the tax deduction (50%) and the invoice discount mechanism which allows you to immediately have the system discounted by 50%.
5. How much can you save with balcony mini-photovoltaics?
To understand how much a Plug&Play photovoltaic can save you must first of all quantify the production of the module. 1 kWh of energy produced = around €0.20 in savings.
So:
6. How much does a mini-photovoltaic produce?
Let's make some calculations based on a real fact: the production of our photovoltaic system which has an inclination of 30° on the horizon.
We see from the app that we have 13 360 W modules, and that last year it produced 5750 kWh of electricity, about 440 kWh/year.
[Watch the production of our system at this link: https://monitoringpublic.solaredge.com/solaredge-web/p/site/public?name=Soluzioni+Green]
Assuming a 400 W panel (and not 360) but with a worse inclination, we have around 450 kWh/year of production.
This means around 450 kWh per panel and €0.20/kWh x 450 kWh means €90 savings per year. If you put 2 panels, we can reason around 80%, that is about 720 kWh/year because there will be days in which the production of the two panels, assuming 600 W instantaneous, will not be totally covered by consumption.
720 kWh of self-consumption with 0.20 €/kWh of savings, we have about 150 €.
Depending on the orientation, especially in condominiums where we have well-defined facades, the expected production can halve and consequently the payback period DOUBLE from 4 to 8 years.
0:00 Intro
2:23 What is mini-photovoltaic for balconies and how does it work?
3:38 Do we need permissions?
5:39 How do you connect it at home?
8:38 How much does mini photovoltaic for a balcony cost?
9:27 How much can you save with balcony mini-photovoltaics?
11:50 How much does a mini-photovoltaic produce?
15:33 How much do I recover the investment?
17:26 Conclusions