The number of balcony power plants in Bavaria continues to rise rapidly. Since the beginning of the year, the inventory reported to the Federal Network Agency’s market master data register has quadrupled. As of October 2nd, the database in the Free State showed a good 45,200 systems. Three quarters of them have gone into operation since the turn of the year. For the third quarter alone there are 11,075 systems put into operation in the register.
The number of existing systems is likely to be even higher, because there are systems that are not counted whose status is unclear and systems that are not registered or have not yet been registered. The German Solar Industry Association (BSW) points out that market participants have four weeks after commissioning to register in the market master data register on time. In terms of both growth in the third quarter and overall inventory, Bavaria is in second place nationwide behind North Rhine-Westphalia and ahead of Lower Saxony. A good 300,000 systems are registered nationwide.
The small and comparatively cheap balcony power plants – the BSW prefers the term plug-in solar device – have also gained popularity because of the sharp rise in electricity prices. They usually consist of one or two solar modules and an inverter. This converts the solar power into household electricity that can be fed directly into the socket. The electricity can then be used to power household appliances. In return, less electricity is purchased from the public power grid. According to consumer advice centers, whether such a system is worthwhile depends, among other things, on the purchase price and electricity price, but also on whether the module receives as much sun as possible for as long as possible. The federal government is currently working on a change in the law that will, among other things, make it easier for tenants and apartment owners to install such systems.