The 800 watt debate: background and classification of the safety of balcony power plants

This article is about the safety of balcony power stations with an output of 800 watts. There has been some debate recently about whether such investments are safe or not. In this article we will shed light on the background and give you an idea of ​​what the so-called “800 watt debate” is actually about.

First of all, it should be noted that it is currently anything but certain whether we can really use the 800 watts. Two things still have to happen for the 800 watts to be available for balcony power plants. On the one hand, PV Package 1 must pass through Parliament, and on the other hand, the standards must be changed.

The standards are largely responsible for determining which technical rules apply to the systems. The 800 watts still have to go in here so that there is no stress with the public network. The network operators all adhere to these rules.

The question now is whether 800 watts are more dangerous than the current 600 watts. There have been a few articles recently that have cast doubt on the safety of 800 watt systems. But if you look at the numbers more closely, you will see that there are relatively small differences.

The Photovoltaic Institute has calculated at what current the maximum temperature of the cables can be reached. At 800 watts and 230 volts that’s only 3.47 amps. The lines are usually rated for 16 amps, which means it’s relatively low current.

The real problem is that the balcony power plant feeds electricity into the public grid and therefore draws less from the grid. However, the circuit breaker does not trip if there is a very strong consumer because it sees these 3.47 amps less.

This means that a high current can still flow across the consumer and the circuit breaker does not notice this. Most circuit breakers are designed for 16 amps and only trip after an hour at 30° room temperature – not at 16 amps but at 1.13 times to 1.45 times that.

This means that we are at the limit of the circuit breaker and that with an output of almost 6 kW on a single line, things can definitely become critical. However, all factors must be met: strong thermal insulation in the wall, the absolute thermal maximum of the circuit breaker and the maximum output of the balcony power plants.

It is important to emphasize that the right people are already addressing this issue. The VDE will examine in detail whether the 800 watts are safe or not. So we should wait and let them do their job before spreading panic.

Overall, it can be said that the safety of balcony power plants with 800 watts has not yet been conclusively clarified. But we shouldn’t let ourselves go crazy and wait to see what the experts will say. Ultimately, it is about ensuring a secure and sustainable energy supply.