Life is getting more and more expensive. Current forecasts look to 2023 60 percent increased electricity prices ahead. A kilowatt hour Strom could therefore soon be billed at 50 cents per kilowatt hour. Faced with this bitter prospect of the New Year, many are interested consumer for mini PV systems. Would you like one too? Mini PV system install, however, there are a few prerequisites to consider. We clarify.
Mini PV system: consent of the landlord required?
When asked whether you need the consent of your landlord for your balcony power plant, the answer is always “yes”. However, the landlord is often not allowed to refuse the necessary permission. However, exceptions apply to mounting locations, which provide for a major intervention in the building structure of the house. If you have to mount your system on the facade, on the roof or on other parts of the building, the consent of the landlord is mandatory. The reason for this is that such assemblies change the appearance of the house and thus the owner of the property has the power to make decisions about it. Also plug-in PV systems need to so-called power sockets be connected. If one is not available in the apartment, it must be dated renter be retrofitted. If it is necessary to intervene in the building structure, the landlord must agree.
The situation is different, however, if no changes are made to the facade. Is the system standing directly on the floor or on yours balcony, the consent of the landlord can even be demanded in court. For many residents in high-rise buildings with various apartment units, it can still be tricky to get the real estate company’s approval. For such a system to be tolerated by the landlord, it must meet various conditions. It must be permissible under building law, not visually disturbing, easy to dismantle and professionally installed without deteriorating the rented property. Likewise, no increased risk of fire or other hazards may emanate from the system.
If the planned assembly meets these requirements, you have a good chance of convincing the housing association. Fortunately, some companies are now showing understanding due to the current energy crisis, so that companies that previously did not want to give their consent are now approaching their tenants. For example, Vonovia in Berlin equipped around twelve residential complexes with photovoltaic roof systems in August.
Courts approve installation of PV systems
Courts are now also showing a certain tendency in favor of balcony power plants. In March, for example, the district court in Stuttgart dismissed a landlord’s lawsuit for the dismantling of such a balcony power plant. (File number 37 C 2283/30). The reason given by the court was that the photovoltaic balcony modules contribute to the national goal of environmental protection, which is clearly anchored in the Basic Law. In fact, courts have long held the view that installing solar panels on patios constitutes contractual use. In the process, the district court in Stuttgart already referred to a corresponding judgment by the district court in Munich (AZ 214 C 24821/90) from 1990.
Installing a mini-PV system: Prerequisites for registering as a mini-PV system
So that you can easily use your system as a Mini PV system can register, some prerequisites are also decisive. On the one hand, the total power of the inverter of the system 600 Watt not exceed. So if you want to invest in a larger system, professional installation by an electrician is required and the simplified registration as a mini PV system is out of the question for you. Does your chosen investment exceed the 600-watt limits not, it is eligible for the simplified registration with your network operator. Here, the platforms like MachdeinenStrom.de help. They offer a free form service to make it easier for you to register your facility in supported areas. Registration on the website can be done in a few minutes.
If your region is one of the previously supported areas, in the next step you will receive access to your input form with a password by email. After completing the documents, your mini PV system will be registered in the market master data register and you will receive the necessary forms to send them to your grid operator. If this is not the case, you can contact your local grid operator yourself to register your mini PV system. To do this, you need the appropriate certificates for your solar modules and inverter used to prove that both meet the relevant requirements.
Bidirectional meter and power socket are necessary
Two other factors are also decisive for the commissioning of the system: the presence of an energy socket to which the system can be connected, and a suitable electricity meter. Network operators provide a so-called bidirectional meter for the commissioning of PV systems. This means that this meter not only measures how much electricity the household uses, but also how much electricity is fed back into the grid from the household. Bidirectional counters can be recognized by an image of two arrows pointing in different directions. Shouldn’t matching meter be present in the household, it must be replaced by the metering point operator. This can entail additional costs, but some metering point operators carry out the replacement at their own expense. Here it is worth asking the local network operator in advance about the conditions under which the exchange takes place.
Households for which the meter operator does not automatically use the current electricity provider represents benefit. Is the current one electricity provider meter operator at the same time, this could potentially change when an electricity contract is changed – and this would require the meter to be replaced. In the worst case, this would be associated with recurring costs for you, which would reduce your annual savings from the PV system.
Assuming safe assembly
Basically, the following applies: no matter whether you decide to install it on the roof, on the facade or on the ground, the system must always installed weatherproof will. This means that no danger may emanate from the system. In other words: local custom weather conditions must not be able to tear them off your wall or knock them over. In particular, if the installation is on the ground, you must therefore find out in advance about the corresponding wind zones. Depending on which area you reside in, you will need a Mini PV system be weighed down with different weights. One speaks here of a so-called ballasting. This is due to the fact that different areas in Germany are exposed to stronger and more frequent gusts of wind than others. As the operator of your mini PV system, it is your responsibility to security to ensure the plant. About the Platform Dehn.de you can use your postal code to find out free of charge which wind zone your place of residence falls under.
