The Parkside PBKW300A1 balcony power plant has been available in the Lidl online shop for a few weeks. The price has meanwhile increased from the original 199 euros to 219 euros. In addition to the photovoltaic panel and inverter, a bracket for balcony railings is also included. If desired, an additional solar module can be connected. However, this is not available from Lidl and must be purchased elsewhere.
scope of delivery
At a price of just over 200 euros, the Parkside balcony power plant from Lidl is the cheapest photovoltaic set that we have tested to date. With only a small solar module and a maximum feed-in power of 300 watts, this set is also significantly weaker than the competition from Anker (test report), Ecoflow (test report), Netto (test report) or Yuma (test report).
In addition to a bracket for balcony railings, the scope of delivery includes a rigid 150-watt solar panel with an aluminum frame measuring 1070 × 775 × 35 mm. For comparison: the 420-watt panel from the net balcony power station measures a whopping 1750 × 1100 × 30 mm. There are MC4 solar connectors on the back for connection to the inverter.
The enclosed metal inverter measures 197 × 186 × 44 mm. In addition to connections for up to two solar panels, there is also a socket for the supply line to the power grid and a port for connecting to a second inverter. In addition to the two status LEDs, there is a reset button and a small WLAN antenna. Exemplary, all connections are provided with waterproof protective caps. The processing looks very neat.
In addition to the inverter and panel, the scope of delivery also includes instructions, all the necessary cables and a flush-mounted box. We will come back to this in the practical part.
Montage
After unpacking and sorting the parts, the first disappointment follows. Instead of a Schuko plug, Lidl’s balcony power station is connected to the mains with a proprietary plug connector. We knew in advance that no Schuko plug was included and therefore ordered an adapter – but it didn’t fit. The existing Wieland adapter from the net balcony power station is also incompatible. So let’s start looking for a solution.
Unfortunately, Lidl swaps sockets and plugs for its inverter, so we can’t find a suitable solution on Amazon & Co. After a phone call to an electrician friend, we then decide against permanently installing the flush-mounted socket, as this is no longer needed after the test. Even if not recommended in the medium term, we build a cable adapter based on the installation box instead. This worked without any problems during the test weeks, but it is by no means a permanent solution!
So let’s get straight to the biggest problem with the cheap balcony power plant from the discounter. In addition to the acquisition costs, there are also costs for the professional installation of the box by a specialist. Depending on the region and craftsman, this can quickly add up to 100 to over 200 euros.
After building our temporary adapter, let’s get to the assembly. To do this, we first screw the round hooks for hanging on the railing onto the top of the panel. The bracket is not or less suitable for square railings or brick balcony railings. The assembly of the panel works here in both portrait and landscape format. In the next step we attach the inverter to the back of the panel and move the solar module and the remaining elements to our balcony. Thanks to the manageable dimensions and the low weight, transport is much easier than with the huge 420 watt panels, which we had to hoist up using a pulley system. Here we can easily use our staircase.
Arrived on the balcony, we hang the panel on the railing and secure the two hooks with a long screw each. In the lower part of the railing, just behind the panel, we attach the second part of the bracket, which consists of a long metal strut. This is screwed to the railing with two clamps and then connected to the frame of the panel with an angle. It works, but it’s tricky because of the inverter on the back. After just a few minutes, the panel and inverter are mounted – there is no elevation to adjust the angle of the solar module. After assembly, the module hangs flat on the balcony railing. It looks fancier than the set by Netto mounted next to it, but the light output is significantly lower. As a rule, an installation angle of 30 to 35 degrees is recommended.
After hanging, all the screws were tightened again and rubber wedges were clamped between the railing and the brackets in some places. Nothing rattles or wobbles, even in strong winds.
Commissioning/Installation
Now we first connect the panel and inverter and then connect the system to the power grid using our adapter. Installation is also possible in the dark, but sunshine is required to set up the system. If the inverter receives power from the solar module, this is signaled to us by a small green LED on the back of the inverter. Now it’s time to set up the software. To monitor performance, we install the Lidl Home app, which is also used for some of the discounter’s smart home products. Registration is required for use.
After the installation we add the inverter with the plus symbol. However, there are problems when connecting to the home WLAN. Our smartphone cannot find the inverter at first. The connection only works after we deactivate our 5 GHz. Once set up, we can then also re-enable our 5 GHz network and the connection will continue to work. From now on, the current performance can be viewed via smartphone – at least when the sun is shining.
long-term test
Our test balcony faces south to south-east and only gets a few hours of direct sunlight a day due to the surrounding trees and the hillside location of the property. In May, only the yield from shortly before noon to around four p.m. is of interest, which is why we are currently planning to place our private balcony power plant on the roof in the medium term.
After a few days of testing, we check the recorded data. The fact that this balcony power plant produces less than 2.2 kWh per day than the Netto variant was clear to us in advance, but that the electricity yield of the vertically suspended panel is so poor is still surprising. Added to this is the fact that the recording of the data has large gaps. If this were only a matter of a few afternoon hours, we would have suspected that the inverter was overheating. So there seems to be a general problem here. Values were only recorded for two hours a day under the item Production. The performance tab shows values throughout the day, but the 45 to 60 Wh produced per hour are more than sobering in view of the ideal weather conditions. On cloudy days and days with little sun, the yield is even lower, or no electricity is produced at all.
For comparison: With the power plant from Netto, we can easily produce the maximum permissible 600 Wh in the early afternoon hours. Even with heavy clouds and in partial shade, more electricity flows here than with the mini power plant. In addition to the weak panel, the poorer, vertical placement also has an effect here.
The up to 100 kWh per year specified by Netto are quite realistic given a slightly better placement and correspond to our measured values. With an electricity price of around 40 cents per kWh, this results in annual savings of around 40 euros. Is it worth it?
Assuming the installation of the socket costs about 100 euros, we are talking about total costs of 319 euros. With a saving of 40 euros, the system would only be paid off after almost 8 years. The much more powerful model from Netto, on the other hand, pays for itself in just under half the time. Important in all the calculations: The electricity must be actively converted by the user. Everything that is produced as a surplus is given to the network operator. This danger does not exist with the balcony power plant from Lidl. The maximum produced under 100 watts is not enough even for small apartments.
Price & alternatives
The set from Lidl costs 219 euros. Added to this are the costs for the installation of the wall socket by an electrician. Although the price is tempting at first glance, it is far too high in terms of performance. Even those who only have to supply a low base load will get better solutions for the same or slightly higher price.
Yuma Basic 400 (without bracket): A solar panel with inverter for 369 Euro instead of 429 euros (- 14 percent)
IT SAYS 830WP (without bracket): Two solar modules with inverter for 430 Euro
Priflat Duo (Garten): Two solar panels with inverter & bracket for 619 Euro with code SALE100
Priwall Duo (facade/balcony): Two solar panels with inverter & bracket for 638 Euro with code SALE100
Priroof Duo (pitched roof): Two solar panels with inverter & bracket for 649 Euro with code SALE100
The costs for the self-assembled set are therefore even lower than the price of complete packages. There is, for example, the Apsystems DS3S inverter with up to 600 watts of feed-in, which together with the solar panel Ja Solar Jam54S31-405/MR with 405 Wp costs around 241 euros. Added to this are the costs for a panel mount, ideally with an elevation, which is available from around 40 euros. The electricity savings potential of this combination is around 108 euros per year, which means that the package would be paid off after a little more than two and a half years. With two panels and total costs of 432 euros including balcony mount, the savings are twice as high (216 euros) and the costs would have been amortized after just two years.
Register a balcony power plant, right?
The topic of registration cannot be deadlocked at balcony power plants. According to the manual, the system should be registered in the market master data register – this can also be done online. According to the consumer center, this is an unnecessary bureaucratic effort for the consumer for systems below 800 watts (read here). In the worst case, there is a risk of fines if you do not register.
There may also be municipal funding for Lidl’s balcony power plant. Unfortunately, the subsidy programs vary from municipality to municipality. Therefore, one should inform oneself about the possibility before making the purchase decision. The homepage of the respective municipality is a good address. Building authorities are also good contacts. In some cities and municipalities there is even a flat-rate subsidy – in such a case the costs could even be fully covered by a grant.
Conclusion
Despite the manageable acquisition costs, the balcony power plant from Lidl cannot convince us. And that’s not just due to the low performance of the system, after all, there are also households with a low base load. The main problem with the Parkside set is that it is too expensive for its performance. A balcony power plant should be paid off after 3 to 4 years thanks to the electricity savings. With the Lidl model, it takes almost twice as long because of the additional installation costs.