ᐅ Balcony Solar System – With or Without Battery Storage? Orientation?
Created on: 10 Jul 2025 10:01
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HubiTrubi40
Hello everyone,
I have a very basic question. I want to generate some of my own electricity. I’m also considering a system on the roof, but thought I’d start with a balcony power system first. Our electricity consumption is around 2500 kWh. We are a family of four, but our usage could likely approach 3000 kWh. Currently, we heat our home with gas, but our next heating system might be a heat pump.
Of course, a balcony power system won’t play a major role in that. Still, I thought it could be a good starting point. The balcony faces south. For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer to hang the panels (2 units would fit well) parallel to the balcony railing—not tilted. How much does that affect efficiency? And is it worth having a battery storage? Thanks in advance for your opinions.
I have a very basic question. I want to generate some of my own electricity. I’m also considering a system on the roof, but thought I’d start with a balcony power system first. Our electricity consumption is around 2500 kWh. We are a family of four, but our usage could likely approach 3000 kWh. Currently, we heat our home with gas, but our next heating system might be a heat pump.
Of course, a balcony power system won’t play a major role in that. Still, I thought it could be a good starting point. The balcony faces south. For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer to hang the panels (2 units would fit well) parallel to the balcony railing—not tilted. How much does that affect efficiency? And is it worth having a battery storage? Thanks in advance for your opinions.
S
SteffenBank11 Jul 2025 09:58I have a system with 4 panels (total 1700 watts) and a Growatt Noah 2000 with a 600W inverter. On good days, I use between 8-9 kWh of electricity from this setup. The system is designed for zero feed-in, and a Shelly 3 EM manages the battery.
So, I think the battery storage is definitely worth it.
So, I think the battery storage is definitely worth it.
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wiltshire11 Jul 2025 10:27SteffenBank schrieb:
I have a system with 4 panels (total 1700 watts) and a Growatt Noah 2000 and 600W inverter.How is it prevented that the inverter gets overloaded?
I assume you, like us, have a large system on the roof.
On sunny days with some cloud cover, the output can fluctuate significantly throughout the day. This is not a problem with a large system, as you still stay above the base load. With a small balcony solar system, I could imagine that without storage, you would fluctuate between consumption and surplus during the day, which would increase the number of cycles.
It depends on when charging is possible. For example, if charging occurs during the day on sunny days, the car itself acts as storage. This is of course optimal, as the electricity is used when it is generated and fewer conversion losses occur. This reduces the number of cycles for the battery storage.
If you regularly come home only in the evening and deplete a fully charged battery storage, the number of cycles would increase. While this may have a positive effect on the financial calculation for or against storage, overall the total consumption increases due to additional conversion losses.
I currently usually charge my hybrid on sunny days. With storage, I could charge in the evening, and my wife could drive on my sunny days. However, if you have two electric or hybrid vehicles, it doesn’t really matter because charging can then be done on weekends or on sunny days. Everything is very individual, and the demand will change within the payback period of solar systems and battery storage.
For example, I already assume that we will eventually operate both vehicles electrically. Possibly, a third vehicle from our child might be added for a period of time.
On sunny days with some cloud cover, the output can fluctuate significantly throughout the day. This is not a problem with a large system, as you still stay above the base load. With a small balcony solar system, I could imagine that without storage, you would fluctuate between consumption and surplus during the day, which would increase the number of cycles.
It depends on when charging is possible. For example, if charging occurs during the day on sunny days, the car itself acts as storage. This is of course optimal, as the electricity is used when it is generated and fewer conversion losses occur. This reduces the number of cycles for the battery storage.
If you regularly come home only in the evening and deplete a fully charged battery storage, the number of cycles would increase. While this may have a positive effect on the financial calculation for or against storage, overall the total consumption increases due to additional conversion losses.
I currently usually charge my hybrid on sunny days. With storage, I could charge in the evening, and my wife could drive on my sunny days. However, if you have two electric or hybrid vehicles, it doesn’t really matter because charging can then be done on weekends or on sunny days. Everything is very individual, and the demand will change within the payback period of solar systems and battery storage.
For example, I already assume that we will eventually operate both vehicles electrically. Possibly, a third vehicle from our child might be added for a period of time.
wiltshire schrieb:
The number of cycles depends on the usage profile. Of course, future plans and price developments can be anticipated in the usage profile, but I consider that crystal ball guessing.
wiltshire schrieb:
Our electric car is used by three people—it is the preferred vehicle for trips up to 100km (60 miles). To make sure anyone can leave at any time, it is recharged at home whenever someone stops using it. This is not cost-optimized but maximizes spontaneous availability and avoids additional coordination. Since we got the EV, the number of cycles for the home battery has decreased significantly.
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SteffenBank11 Jul 2025 10:34wiltshire schrieb:
How is it ensured that the inverter does not overload?This cannot happen because the modules are connected to the battery, and the battery is connected to the inverter. The battery behaves like solar panels from the inverter’s perspective. The maximum output power of the battery is 800 watts. Soon, I will replace my inverter with an 800-watt one. Then I will be able to use the system even more efficiently.
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HubiTrubi4011 Jul 2025 10:55My wife is at home during the day. She cooks, and the washing machine runs sometimes. Then the question is whether the electricity from the balcony solar system is enough to charge a small battery storage for the evening.
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SteffenBank11 Jul 2025 10:58Then it will be difficult with 2 modules. With 4 modules, however, he would still be able to fully supply it in good weather, since you are allowed to connect a maximum of 800 watts to the house. The rest is then used to charge the battery storage.
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