A recent survey conducted by Innofact on behalf of the comparison platform Verivox has revealed that a quarter of Germans are open to the idea of installing a solar panel on their balcony. Currently, nine percent of Germans already have a mini-solar panel in operation, while another 17 percent are planning to purchase a balcony power plant, as reported by the newspapers of the Funke-Mediengruppe (Sunday editions).
Around 21 percent of respondents stated that they do not have enough space for a balcony power plant. Fifteen percent said that a mini-solar panel would not be cost-effective for them. Nineteen percent of respondents do not want to install a balcony power plant at all, while another 19 percent have not yet made a decision.
According to Verivox, a balcony power plant with a capacity of 800 watts can generate approximately 760 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually under ideal conditions. If 60 percent of this energy (456 kWh) is used for personal consumption, it can result in a savings of around 160 euros per year, based on an average price of 34.7 cents per kWh.
The cost of purchasing a small solar panel for a balcony ranges between 500 and 800 euros, while for a garden or terrace, it ranges between 400 and 700 euros. Verivox estimates that the investment in such a system would be amortized in two and a half to five years. Over a period of 20 years, this would result in savings of approximately 3,160 euros in electricity costs.
In some federal states, the purchase of a balcony solar panel is also subsidized. According to Verivox, investing in this technology is still worthwhile even if the ideal conditions are not met, such as when the orientation is not optimal or the generated electricity cannot be used personally. In such cases, it may take a bit longer to recover the investment, as stated by Thorsten Storck, an energy expert at Verivox.
However, the location is the most important factor in determining the yield of the system. According to Storck, the best results are achieved when the balcony faces south, the modules are slightly tilted and no shade falls on the solar modules. On the other hand, if the balcony faces north and the modules are only installed vertically, the yield can often be less than a third of the potential output. The survey data was collected by the market research institute Innofact in March of this year, based on a sample of 1,007 individuals.