Balcony power - Everything you need to know

In the future, mini PV systems / balcony power plants can be used with the simple and standard Schuko plug. The systems can therefore be easily used as plug & play solutions. The Wieland plug is a safer alternative. The Wieland plug differs from the Schuko plug in that it has a higher safety standard. It therefore currently complies with the VDE standard V 0628-1, which is taken into account in funding in Schleswig-Holstein, among other things. At the beginning of 2023, however, the VDE published a position paper in which it advocated tolerating the Schuko plug for feeding in up to 800W for mini PV systems. It is therefore likely that the standard will change accordingly this year, making the use of balcony power plants even easier. The head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, also spoke out in favor of this simplification in an official statement at the end of 2022. From the experience of hundreds of thousands of Schuko plug users in Germany, it can be concluded that the Schuko plug is completely sufficient for balcony power plants and mini solar systems and represents the simplest solution. To date, no cases of damage have been reported due to the use of a Schuko plug when operating a balcony power plant. The Wieland plug offers even more safety and is currently recommended by the VDE, but it involves considerably more effort and costs. In addition, a specialist installer and sufficient waiting time for an appointment are required, which significantly increases the purchase costs of a balcony power plant. We are currently in contact with those responsible to further simplify the possibility of using an eligible balcony power station with a Schuko plug for you.