At the end of 2022, almost 750,000 balcony power plants were already active in Germany, more than in any other European country. No wonder, because there is little to no bureaucracy, you don’t need an electrician for the installation and you can save money straight away – with a manageable investment. When the balcony power plant pays off depends heavily on the general conditions. These include the performance and orientation of the PV panels. But the fact whether you actually use the electricity you generate yourself at the time it is generated also has a big impact.
Balcony power plants are currently allowed to feed in a maximum of 600 watts in Germany. An increase to 800 watts is to come. The systems reach their yield peak at lunchtime. But anyone who uses less than they produce is giving away the energy to the network operator. Unfortunately, feed-in tariffs are usually not possible for balcony power plants. In the best case scenario, you should use a lot of electricity at lunchtime so as not to waste anything. But such consumption behavior is in contrast to the typical daily routine of working people who only come home in the evening.
Highlights from the test
The Zendure AIO 2400 completely convinced us during the test. Apart from the reliable basic function, the memory scores with the following points:
very easy installation and monitoring, stylish and tidy design, free choice of microinverter, IP65 certification, works down to minus 20 degrees Celsius thanks to internal heating, needs-based control of the feed, possibility of coupling several AIO 2400
What does the AIO 2400 offer?
The AIO 2400 from Zendure arrives very neatly and safely packaged. After unpacking, we are amazed – the approximately 43 × 68 cm large and only 20 cm deep storage unit (including stand) looks very high-quality, modern and chic in its metal housing with vertical cooling fins. In addition, thanks to its IP65 certification, the system is expressly suitable for outdoor use – you can safely avoid complicated measures against moisture and insulation work. The integrated heating unit works automatically up to temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
The system uses lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery cells with a capacity of 2,400 watt hours (Wh) and a lifespan of 8,000 cycles with a remaining capacity of 70 percent, as stated by Zendure.
In addition to the AIO storage, some MC4 extension cables, a cover and two brackets are also included. Depending on your preference, you can mount the storage unit on the wall or place it on the floor.
Since the system is intended as a retrofit solution for existing mini PV systems, it also works with other PV panels and many other inverters. Zendure promises compatibility with around 99 percent of major microinverter brands such as Hoymiles, Deve, Apsystems, NEP, Enphase and Tsun.
How many panels can you connect to the AIO 2400?
The AIO 2400 has two internal MPPTs. The first MPPT can handle an input power of 440 to 520 watts, the second module even manages an input power of 880 to 1040 watts. In total, a total output of 1320 to 1560 watts per AIO2400 is possible. The open circuit voltage (Voc) of the solar panels must be lower than 60 volts. The current at MPPT1 must not exceed 16A and at MPPT2 28A. Standard MC4 connectors are used for connection.
If energy consumption is high, it would also be possible to connect a second AIO unit. This would then not require an additional inverter and you could use up to 1560 watts of additional solar power and twice the capacity.
Photo gallery – Zendure AIO 2400
The Zendure AIO 2400 balcony power plant storage system.
How do you connect the AIO 2400?
Setting up and commissioning the AIO 2400 is extremely easy and can be completed within a few minutes – provided you have an existing balcony power plant. If you also have to hang/set up the panels, you will of course need a little more time. For our test setup, we use both the included flexible modules and classic rigid modules. In order not to make the test too easy for us, we also used the new inverter that was supplied – so this has not yet been configured, which doesn’t work without obstacles at Hoymiles.
After unpacking, we decide against mounting it on the house wall and first screw the massive base together. The AIO 2400 is simply attached here. The inverter is then mounted on the back. This works with the help of two knurled screws, the distance between which is not fixed. So other microinverters also fit, and not just the HMS800-2T that was included for the test.
Now we connect the MC4 connections of the inverter to the corresponding ports of the AIO 2400 and install the metal cover. This is followed by the connection of the PV panels and the connection to the house power network.
How to check performance?
Configuring the AIO 2400 is just as easy as assembling the hardware. The most positive point from our point of view: The system can be controlled using only the Zendure app. We can completely do without an additional app for the inverter – at least if it is still in the delivery state. If you retrofit an existing balcony power plant with an 800-watt inverter, you should set it back to a maximum of 800 watts for use with the AIO 2400 – currently it should be limited to 600 watts.
In the Zendure app we pair the AIO 2400 and set how many watts of power the microinverter allows – in our case 800 watts. Now we set how much power should be fed into the house network – here we set the currently valid 600 watts as the upper limit.
In addition to the possibility of feeding in a fixed power value, the app also allows time control of the feed-in power and demand-controlled feed-in. The latter works using smart sockets such as the Shelly Plug S (Top 10: Smart sockets), which are linked to the Zendure app. Now we can not only switch the WLAN sockets on and off using the Zendure app, but also determine their power requirements and regulate the feed into the BKW storage accordingly.
The key data for the solar power, the feed-in and the charge status of the battery are displayed clearly in the app and without a large time delay. In addition to the power supply, we can also limit the charge here, store a reserve charge or change the lighting of the AIO 2400. We like the modern green lighting, but the light is too conspicuous for us. We therefore reduce the luminosity and change the color to red. If you want, you can turn the brightness up to full, use white lighting and use the AIO 2400 as a path light – it would be bright enough.
How much money can you save with the AIO 2400?
In practice, the amount of savings achieved by the storage system depends on factors such as the installation location, orientation and performance of the panels. Your own consumption and effective feed-in also play a role. If you simply let the system feed in at maximum power, you will save significantly less than someone with a precise schedule or needs-based control via a WLAN socket.
Zendure states in its model calculation that with a balcony power plant and a solar output of 1500 watt peak (Wp) you would save around 292 euros per year. By using the intermediate storage and demand-controlled feed-in, the yield based on an electricity tariff of 40 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) would more than double and rise to over 640 euros. In reality, we think this calculation is slightly exaggerated, but a massive increase would definitely be possible.
Price and alternatives
The AIO 2400 Zendure costs around 100,000 to bring to market at the manufacturer 1343 Euro – however, the RRP is 1799 euros. The Bundle with dem Inverter Hoymiles HMS800-2T and four flexible solar panels with 210 Wp (840 Wp) each are currently available for 1929 Euro (RRP: 2898 euros). The set includes six solar panels (1260 Wp) and inverter 2180 Euro (RRP: 3298 euros) due.
If you don’t yet have a balcony power plant and prefer to use sturdy glass PV panels, you should get the Zendure storage system from a specialist retailer Yuma obtain. In the future, the AIO 2400 will be available together with classic or bifacial solar modules including a holder for flat roofs, gardens, balconies or facades.
Conclusion
The price of the AIO 2400 is with 1343 Euro Although proud, the storage system is also perfectly thought out and is also a stylish eye-catcher. Anyone who wants to set up their BKW storage system outdoors and values an aesthetic appearance will currently find hardly any alternatives to the all-in-one solution from Zendure. Alternatives usually only work indoors and look more like a DIY solution due to the individual components and their cabling.
Cheaper electricity tariffs
If you want to save additional money, you should currently compare electricity prices. Here you can currently secure offers for 2024 with a working price starting at 24 cents per kWh. The same applies to gas tariffs. These are currently available from 7 cents per kWh instead of 20 cents in January 2023. We also offer a corresponding comparison offer for this in the heise tariff comparison.