Balcony Solar for Snow-free Comfort
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| Type | Region | Products | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balcony PV | Austria, Salzburg | 2 * HMS-1600-4T | 2,55 kWp |
Balcony Solar for Snow-free Comfort
What if you have a large rooftop, but can’t transform it into a solar powerhouse simply because there is too much snow in winter?
How can you utilize your space to turn the free sunshine into free energy as much as possible?
This balcony solar setup done by a private user in Austria maybe what you are looking for. Let’s take a closer look at how the system is designed and what difference has it made – the Excellence Award in Balcony PV for Europe in Hoymiles’ Solar Project Contest 2023.
Their Story
Alfred Ede was thinking about installing solar to cut the family energy bill.
Though he has a large roof, the traditional rooftop PV station is not a viable from the very beginning – because it often snows in winter in Austria.
As we know, PV modules work the best when they are well exposed to sunlight. Shading, soiling, snow and dust buildup on PV modules can significantly compromise the proper power conversion working. You have to regularly clean you panels and maintain a stable performance.
So Alfred had to look the other way, more innovative way, to equip his property with solar.
Their Solution
Balcony proved to be a feasible solution in this case. Alfred installed 7 REC PV modules vertically on the balcony balustrades. The balcony has an azimuth of 103 degrees, which means it faces south very well – a perfect position to get the most sun exposure.
Cost-effective and time-saving
Then for microinverters, he decided to go with Hoymiles HMS-1600-4T microinverters under the recommendation of a local installer “Salzach Sonne“.
The model has a distinctive 4-in-1 design, meaning that each microinverter can be connected to four PV modules. This offers a cost-effective solution for users because they don’t need to adopt the regular one-module-one-microinverter approach. Still more, a time-saving method for installers.
Flexible and Future-proof
The HMS-1600 is designed to be connected to four modules, so two HMS-1600s in this case can pair to 8 PV modules.
But after gauging the current energy consumption, Alfread chose to connect the first microinverter to 4 modules and the second one to 3 – altogether 7 modules.
This is another benefit of Hoymiles microinverter solution. You don’t need to fill up all the connectors right away. If Alfred finds himself in a higher consumption end, he can simply buy one more panel to scale up the system.
Their Success
The project delivers a daily yield of approx. 11 kWh in good weather. We are very happy with it!
The whole system is fed into the meter box via a 25 m long 220 V power line. Since the project was connected to the Salzburg AG grid in early August 2023, it has kept a track record of a daily yield of approximately 11 kWh in good weather.
