Solar balconies have become the easy and cheap alternative to produce energy in apartments, thus overcoming the technical, economic and bureaucratic barriers that a self-consumption installation shared by all neighbors entails. Living in an apartment is no longer an excuse not to save on the electricity bill and participate in the energy transition. Nor should you be a tenant, because these devices can be moved from one home to another. A solar balcony is a self-pluggable photovoltaic kit, that is, it is a flexible and ultra-light solar panel that connects to the home network thanks to a new generation of microinverters. It is common to place them on balconies, but it is possible to do so on multiple surfaces, such as roofs, terraces, awnings, gardens, walls, pergolas… The essential requirement is that it is facing the sun. “There are more square meters of facades than roofs, so solar balconies are an effective alternative in the fight against climate change,” explains Santiago Vernetta, co-founder and CEO of Tornasol Energy, a Valencian company that has been developing these products for three years. thanks to the Asian giant Sunman, the largest manufacturer of flexible solar panels in the world. “They have trusted us to launch their newest panel throughout Europe, for balconies due to weight, aesthetics and power,” he adds. These devices are very easy to install: they do not require installers or works. And, once connected, they begin to generate solar energy, allowing the owner or tenant to save money on their electricity bills and avoid CO2 emissions. “A solar balcony can mean between 30% and 50% savings on the bill, generating enough to cover the consumption of appliances, such as a washing machine, refrigerator, thermos, router, alarm or the phantom consumption of the home. [los aparatos están apagados, pero siguen conectados a la corriente]. Now, with the new network batteries that we have integrated, up to nine kilowatts per hour (kWh) can be stored and cover the entire energy demand of a home,” says Vernetta. The savings will depend on the size of the kit. solar energy, climatic conditions, orientation of the panels and electricity consumption. “For example, if you have an 800 watt kit, you generate about 136 kWh per month and pay a rate of 0.26 euros per kWh during sunny hours, the monthly savings is 35.36 euros and the annual saving is 424 euros. .32 euros,” calculates Cristina Benavente, CEO of Econovo, which offers flexible and ultralight solar kits for balconies. Each of these teams includes one or two (may be more) solar panels, a microinverter to convert the generated energy into electricity, anchoring accessories to fix the kit to the balcony and a production measurement device. The price of panels has been greatly reduced in recent years. “We have lowered prices this year three times because the components are cheaper,” says Boris Hageney, a European entrepreneur who created Groupon CityDeal in 2010 and founded Robinsun a year ago to bring plug-in solar kits to Spain. A kit with one panel starts at 400 euros, and with two it ranges between 600 and 700 euros. If a battery is included, the average ticket reaches 1,200 euros. Most of the equipment sold has between 600 and 800 watts. This is important because from 800 onwards an installer is needed, which increases the budget. Once energy begins to be produced, there are two options. One is to pour the surplus into the network and for this the installation must be certified, which represents an added cost. “You need an Electrical Installation Certificate (CIE), which usually costs up to 500 euros, to which you have to add regional fees,” explains Hageney, who is very critical of the obstacles that exist in Spain and demands an easy certification. , agile and without fees, you do not have to ask neighbors for permission and 0% VAT to encourage families. To request tax credits, certification is also needed. The problem is that what the marketers pay for that surplus is ridiculous. “When you buy from the grid you pay 23 cents, but when you sell they give you only six cents,” says the founder of Robinsun. The other option is to store the energy in batteries and use it when it is more expensive. However, the decision will also depend on the patterns of each consumer. “If you consume most of your energy during the day, a battery may not be necessary, since you will directly take advantage of solar production. But if the main consumption occurs at night, a battery becomes an interesting investment to maximize your self-consumption and save more in the long term,» says Benavente. There are different types of measurements and powers, so the panels can adapt to balconies of different sizes. dimensions. The important thing is that these are clear and, if possible, facing south. Their weight is not a problem since there are ultralight ones (between 2.9 and 5 kilos), which reduces structural loads and facilitates installation, described in Tornasol. The safety straps hold up to 50 kilos and come 10 per panel.
A sector with potential
Despite their attractiveness, solar balconies remain quite unknown in Spain. Although there are no official figures because not everyone is registered, companies in the sector estimate that there will be only a few thousand, mainly in large cities. “If there are 10,000 kits installed, that is already a lot,” believes Hageney. However, the market is moving and the growth potential in a country like Spain (due to the number of hours of sunshine and apartments) is immense. “With increasing awareness of sustainability and falling prices for solar panels, we expect exponential growth in the coming years. “We think that self-installable solar energy makes more sense than ever,” says the founder of Tornasol, which has equipped more than 3,000 homes in the last three years. Spain is very far from reaching other European countries such as Germany, where solar panels have conquered the balconies. In 2023 alone, more than 1.5 million solar balconies were installed in the country. “This is a giant contribution to their decarbonization plan,” says Robinson, who recognizes that it is the most active market in Europe, followed at a distance by France and the Scandinavian countries. Germany has been a pioneer in the adoption of these systems thanks to favorable regulations (neighbors cannot oppose), awareness campaigns and subsidies. In Spain, on the other hand, the approval of neighbors is necessary. “The railings are common elements, so authorization must be requested from the community of owners,” according to the Professional College of Property Administrators of Madrid. In addition, the aesthetics of the building are altered in some way, which is why the law requires a qualified majority of one third of the total owners and coefficients, of all those who make up the community on the day of the meeting and not just those present. .