Unobtrusive balcony power station: use the mini solar system without making a fuss
Ready-to-plug balcony power plants are very much in vogue. Everyone wants to use a mini solar system to reduce electricity bills. This is not possible everywhere, as the solar cells change the appearance of a building. But there are also inconspicuous solutions. I will now present two of them to you.
Balcony power plant as a garden table
As soon as I received my mini solar system, I had the idea that such a solar panel could actually be perfectly transformed into a garden table. The dimensions would be perfect at 170 x 100 cm. And that is exactly how it is possible Michael Eberhard on Twitter proves:
He simply took a solar panel, mounted four table legs and the inverter on it. Then you basically only need a socket nearby or a longer cable so that you can stays mobile and can put the table in the sun.
Since the The surface of a solar panel is made of glass, the cells are also not damaged under normal use. You should only avoid putting objects that are too warm on it. I’m not sure if you can just put a hot pot on it. So it is best to have something underneath when eating. Otherwise there are no restrictions. If you don’t use the table, you should of course put it in the sun to produce energy with it.
Is it worth it? The garden table as a balcony power plant is a really smart idea. Completely unobtrusive, it can be placed in the garden, patio or uncovered balcony. However, the yield is not as high as with an angle of about 30 percent due to the flat orientation. You also have to pay attention to the surface so that you don’t damage the solar panel while using it as a table. Otherwise thumbs up for all hobbyists. I estimate the total cost to be around 500 to 600 euros if you do everything yourself.
In the video we tell you what else you need to know about the balcony power plant:
Solar modules as a privacy screen
An interesting alternative to classic solar cells is the solution from “We Do Solar”. You get a set of eight solar cells for 1,299 euros, which can be unobtrusively attached to the balcony as a privacy screen. To ensure that this works, there are eyelets on the panels. You get a total of 640 watts and you get an inverter with 600 watts, which exhausts the maximum allowed. Anyone can plug the system together and plug it into the outlet. It’s a very simple solution.
Is it worth it? If you have no other way to mount a balcony power plant, then this is quite a solid and very simple solution. The price of 1,299 euros is justified for the fact that you get a complete set that is easy to attach and remove again. Actually, it is above my recommendation of 1,000 euros, but it is also a special solution that can well be worth the price.
Of course, you still have to make sure that you align the solar modules to the sun. In the shade, none of this will do you any good. To be on the safe side, you should Nevertheless, ask the landlord againwhether such a set would be okay. Simply show the photos and explain that everything can be removed without leaving any residue when you move out. Of course you have to have a socket nearby to be able to connect the balcony power plant. Otherwise thumbs up for the smart idea.
