Balcony power plant: Installation should be much easier

Benefits for tenants
“More speed” – installation of balcony power plants should be much easier

Connecting a balcony power station is easy – sometimes it is not possible to get permission from the landlord.

© Erdark

Balcony power plants are currently in vogue. Nothing makes it easier to generate energy (especially in summer). But the rules for using and setting up the solar panels are confused. That should change.

Federal Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck wants Germans to have it easier in the future if they want to install a balcony power plant. He calls for “more speed”. That’s good, because the systems are very trendy, and more and more manufacturers are offering extensive complete packages for easy installation. Even discounters like Lidl are now offering panels.


Balcony power plant: Everything you need to know about solar systems on the balcony

But before such a balcony power plant is installed, there may still be massive hurdles. On the one hand, this is due to the confusing subsidy packages, which can differ significantly from city to city, and on the other hand, to landlords or homeowners’ associations who do not tolerate mounting on the balcony of their house – and even threaten eviction (the family loses the apartment because of a balcony power plant).

Fewer hurdles for balcony power plants

As part of the photovoltaic strategy, many things should change as quickly as possible. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection has published the first points and a long one report written. In addition to changes for larger solar systems on roofs and open spaces, some also affect the balcony power plants.

The so-called “Solar Package I”, which according to the ministry “should be in the cabinet before the summer break”, contains the following changes for the compact power generators:

  • Simplify or eliminate reporting requirements
  • Temporarily tolerate counters turning backwards
  • Inclusion of connector solar in the catalog of privileged measures in the Home Ownership Act (WEG) and in the Civil Code (BGB)
  • Do not legally combine balcony PV systems

Technically there should also be more freedom. On the one hand, Schuko plugs are to be approved as “energy plug devices”, on the other hand, the threshold is to be raised from the current 600 watts to 800 watts.

Anyone who is happy that counters turning backwards can get stuck is wrong. The toleration stipulates that the operation will be legalized until it is exchanged for a bidirectional meter. This is intended to create the possibility of connecting a balcony power plant even if the meter has not yet been renewed.

The legal combination of balcony power plants affects those who operate a roof system or other balcony power plants at the same time. The “Solar Package I” stipulates that the systems are considered independently of one another and thus do not exceed “certain threshold values”.

Right to Landlord Approval

The inclusion of plug-in solar in the list of privileged measures in the Home Ownership Act (WEG) is particularly important for tenants or homeowners. Because that would mean that they would have a right to approval for the operation of their balcony power plants. So far, owners’ associations or landlords have been able to put a stop to interested parties and simply prohibit assembly.

For the implementation of the measures, things are looking pretty good at the moment. One Petition of the German Bundestag demanded months ago that the installation of the systems should be made easier for as many people as possible. In the Petitions Committee was largely agreed. Parliamentary State Secretary Stefan Wenzel announced that a corresponding draft would now be drawn up and forwarded to the Bundestag.

source site-5