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Balcony Solar in Germany: What the 800‑Watt Cap Means for Setup, Output and Payback

New guidance explains how to stay within the rules while sizing systems for better year‑round yield.

Overview

  • Owners remain limited to 800 watts AC export for simplified use, yet they may oversize DC modules if the inverter caps output at 800 watts before feeding the household grid.
  • Mini‑PV systems must be registered in the German Marktstammdatenregister, with additional notification to the grid operator when adding storage; each inverter is typically registered once even if it serves multiple modules.
  • Running multiple units is theoretically possible across a home’s three phases as long as each end circuit complies with VDE rules and the export cap, while linking microinverters via Betteri/AC is described as a gray‑zone workaround with safety caveats.
  • Typical annual yield spans roughly 700–1,200 kWh depending on orientation, shading and region, with larger DC arrays paired to 800‑watt inverters reaching about 1,600–2,000 kWh under favorable conditions.
  • A featured case with a 1.96 kWp Ost‑West setup plus 3.2 kWh storage produced 1,156.77 kWh in a year and saved €267.87, with estimated payback around 3.5 years without a battery and over eight years with one; market checks note off‑season discounts, including a battery model falling to about €449.