Product to increase the safety of balcony solar panels launched

Plug-in solar panels that mount on the balcony can be dangerous when connected directly to the home’s electrical grid. In Sweden, the electrical safety authority, Elsäkerhetsverket, recently warned consumers about the dangers they face when using these plug & play systems.

A Swiss company is now coming up with a solution to the problem. Soleis AG has launched special batteries, called Minitower1, for balcony solar panels. Two models are available, 1 kWh and 2 kWh.

The batteries are capable of providing electricity overnight to household grids and the power can be set, via a thumbwheel, in the range 30 W – 270 W. The possibility of customisation is very important, as many power grids have not been designed to handle a large surplus of energy.

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These batteries support a maximum of two photovoltaic modules. The batteries include connections for two more panels, but in this case the electricity produced by the additional modules does not go into the batteries, but is delivered directly to the household grid.

Balcony solar panels became very popular in Germany, and from there systems of this kind began to spread throughout Europe. Although there are many models on the market that can be easily installed by anyone, it is advisable to consult specialists to avoid incidents such as fires or electrocutions.

Many such kits are produced by unknown companies and lack minimum safety systems.

Photo: Soleis AG