While in other EU countries according to Regulation 2016/631, such as the Netherlands, balcony power plants (list of the best) can feed in up to 800 watts and Ferraris electricity meters that run backwards are also permitted, in this country the maximum feed-in limit is currently 600 watts. In addition, a plug-in solar device was not allowed to be operated on a Ferrari meter running backwards. With the adoption of Solar Package I by the Bundestag and Bundesrat, the conditions for operating a balcony power plant are now also changing in this country. The feed-in limit will be increased from 600 to 800 watts and Ferrari meters will also be allowed temporarily. The maximum solar output is 2000 watts. It should also be possible to connect a balcony power plant to a Schuko socket.
The Federal President now has to sign the law. It is valid if it is announced in the Federal Law Gazette. That could be the case in just a few days.
Instead of 600 watts, the feed-in power is now 800 watts
Solar Package I was originally supposed to come into force at the turn of the year. But the FDP has resisted the planned resilience bonus for local solar module manufacturers. Only after this was removed from Solar Package I was the law passed. It is clear that once it comes into force, a balcony power plant in this country will also be allowed to feed in a maximum of 800 watts. But it remains to be seen whether the maximum solar output according to the law is valid everywhere in practice. So far there has been no limit, but the VDE (Association of Electrical, Electronic and Information Technology) is planning to limit the solar output to 960 watts with the 0126-95 standard. That would only be 20 percent more than the new feed-in limit of 800 watts.
The association fears that higher solar output in very unfavorable load cases in older buildings could lead to overheating of cables or even fires. However, when asked by our colleagues at Heise Online, the VDE announced that a final decision had not yet been made about the maximum solar output. The association wants to publish the new standard in the second quarter of 2024. After a planned two-month comment phase, the new product standard is to be published as a preliminary standard later this year.
However, since the corresponding VDE standard is not a binding law, balcony power plant users cannot be penalized if they exhaust the legal limit of 2000 watts of solar output. However, should a claim occur, those affected could be stuck with the costs, as insurance experts usually adhere to the VDE standards.
Schuko plug tolerated
It is relatively certain that the VDE will allow a plug-in solar device to be connected to the house network via a Schuko socket. In any case, the association announced this in January 2023. So far, the VDE has recommended a so-called feed-in socket (Wieland plug), but has not explicitly banned the Schuko socket. However, in the past, funding for balcony power plants was linked to the installation of a Wieland socket. When registering a plug-in solar device, many network operators also insisted on using the so-called energy plug-in device. By tolerating a Schuko socket, users save the costs of having a Wieland socket installed by a specialist company.
Balcony power plant: There is no requirement to register with the network operator
The obligation to register a balcony power plant with the network operator no longer applies as soon as Solar Package I takes effect. Instead, the plug-in solar device simply needs to be registered with the Federal Network Agency in the market master data register. This in turn automatically notifies the network operator when a new balcony power plant is commissioned. In addition, the Federal Network Agency has significantly simplified registration since the beginning of April and reduced the required number of information about the balcony power plant from 20 to 5.
Anyone who does not register their balcony power plant must expect fines of up to ten euros per month per kilowatt of installed solar power. If two modules with a total of 840 watts are in use, the penalty is 8.40 euros per month. Another problem with failure to register is that in the event of damage, liability or building insurance will not cover the damage. However, no cases of damage caused by balcony power plants have been reported to date. Specialist retailer Yuma has published further information on this problem in the following article: Insuring a balcony power plant: What you need to know.
Ferraris counter allowed temporarily
Previously, in order to commission a balcony power plant, a reverse-running analogue electricity meter (Ferraris meter) had to be replaced with a bidirectional meter. With the entry into force of Solar Package I, the old analogue meters will be permitted on a temporary basis. This means that the unused electricity from a balcony power plant ensures a lower electricity bill. However, the network operators will probably rush to replace old Ferrari meters in order to benefit from the free surplus production of plug-in solar devices. All Ferrari meters should be replaced with modern versions by 2032 at the latest.
Balcony power plant: privileged measure
Anyone who, as a tenant or owner of an apartment in a home ownership community (WEG), wants to install a plug-in solar device on the balcony or facade must obtain WEG’s consent. Until now, this could prohibit the installation of a balcony power plant. However, according to a bill from the Ministry of Justice from May 2023, electricity generation from a balcony power plant should be included in the catalog of privileged measures. This means that the WEG can no longer ban balcony power plants across the board. After an expert hearing in the Bundestag in mid-February, there was unanimous support for this, but associations and lawyers still see a need for improvements to the draft law. This also provides for the holding of virtual owners’ meetings, so that the expansion of plug-in solar devices is accelerated because applicants are then no longer dependent on the WEG’s in-person event, which usually only takes place once a year.
It is uncertain when the bill will be passed and come into force. The lengthy process has been strongly criticized by the German Association of Real Estate Managers (VDIV): “What is the federal government still waiting for to enable WEG to make virtual decisions and thus enable them to be able to act in a timely manner or to participate in funding programs in the same way? like the owners of single-family homes?” said VDIV managing director Martin Kaßler.
This is how Solar Package I influences the purchase and operation of a balcony power plant
Balcony power plants with 800 watt inverters (test report) have been sold for a long time. In order to operate this in compliance with the law, users were able to limit the feed-in power via the app to the previously applicable limit of 600 watts. As soon as Solar Package I comes into force, you can increase the feed-in power to 800 watts.
When purchasing a new balcony power plant, you should at least choose a model with an 800-watt inverter in order to benefit from the higher feed-in power.
In both cases, however, it should be noted that a large part of the amount of electricity produced could end up in the electricity provider’s network free of charge, unless an old Ferrari meter is in use. For example, when no one is at home during the day and therefore no large consumer such as a PC, stove, dishwasher or washing machine is in use.
In order not to give the network operator free electricity, an electricity storage device (list of the best) helps. This stores the energy generated by the balcony power plant and feeds it into the power grid when necessary. However, solar storage extends the payback period.
The higher the installed solar power, the more efficiently a solar storage system works. Therefore, when purchasing a balcony power plant with storage, you should make full use of the maximum permitted solar output of 2000 watts. Further information can be found in the article Making the most of balcony power plants: More electricity with four panels & storage.
The 2 m² limit for solar modules falls for balcony power plants
As the German Institute for Construction Technology (DIBt) announced at the end of October 2023, balcony power plants are not building products, so the current limit on module size of 2 m² for solar panels does not apply to plug-in solar devices. Accordingly, balcony power plants can now also be operated with solar modules such as the 550 watt Longi LR5 (price comparison) or the Ja Solar JAM72S30-550 (price comparison). The first sets with modules of this size are available from specialist retailer Yuma.
And another limit falls with the classification of balcony power plants as non-construction products: the previously applicable maximum installation height of four meters for glass modules also does not apply to plug-in solar devices.
There is good news when it comes to module size but also for conventional PV systems (guide). The DIBt proposes to the conference of building ministers of the federal states to increase the limit for PV modules that may be used with mechanically held glass cover surfaces in the roof area without proof of usability from 2 m² to 3 m². However, the regulation is not due to come into force until mid-2024 at the earliest. It already applies in Hesse.
Conclusion
Democratic mills grind slowly and so it is not surprising that Solar Package I will finally come into force soon after a delay of several months. The law now allows balcony power plants with 800 watts of feed-in power with a maximum solar output of 2000 watts. The fact that the Schuko socket is probably tolerated by the VDE also makes commissioning easier and does not make it unnecessarily more expensive by installing a Wieland socket.
The democratic mill did not grind fast enough for tenants and owners of an apartment in a home ownership community (WEG). The corresponding law, which includes balcony power plants in the catalog of privileged measures and allows virtual owners’ meetings, has not yet been passed. Only then do tenants and owners of an apartment in a residential community have the right to install a balcony power plant. So you have to be patient. Judging by current information, it should be passed this year. This could accelerate sales of balcony power plants even further. After all, over 53 percent of people in this country live on rent, and it has so far been almost impossible for them to reduce their electricity costs with a plug-in solar device (guide).