What is Plug & Play
What are Plug & Play
solar panels
Plug & Play solar panels – also referred to as “plug-in”, “balcony solar panels”, "Micro-PV" or "solar panels with a plug" – generate electricity that you can plug directly into a standard socket. This way, you can start generating energy immediately, without the need for an electrician or mandatory inspection.
The system can supply or store power with a home battery and is ideal for those who do not want a fixed roof installation or are renting. It is affordable, easy to install, and convenient to take with you when moving or at the end of a rental period.
Placement: on the roof, in the garden, at the balcony, on the facade
You can install plug & play solar panels relatively easily yourself. You can place the panels on a flat roof (for example, on a carport or garden shed), on the terrace, in the garden, on a balcony, or on a garden fence. Just like with regular solar panel installations, the orientation and positioning of the panels play an important role in energy production. The more sunlight the panels receive, the more green electricity they can generate.
Most manufacturers of plug and play solar kits also sell various mounting pieces for securing the plug-and-play solar panels on flat roofs, pitched roofs, balconies, façades...
Easy to install yourself.
You don’t need an installer for plug & play solar panels — you can easily connect them yourself. Simply place the panels and plug them into a grounded power outlet.
Home battery
Plug & Play home batteries store excess solar energy for later use, reducing your dependence on the electricity grid and saving on your energy costs.
With a dynamic energy contract, you can charge when electricity is cheap and discharge when it’s expensive — allowing the battery to quickly pay for itself.
They are available in various brands and capacities and are often purchased together with plug & play solar panels.
A home battery system basically consists of two components: the inverter and the battery itself. Some plug & play home batteries are all-in-one solutions, meaning the inverter and battery are integrated into a single device.
Realtime energy-insights
You can also measure your electricity consumption and the power from the solar panels using energy meters. The most commonly used energy meter is the one for the socket (Smart Plug). Additionally, there is the P1 energy meter that you plug into the P1 port of your smart meter.
Additionally, you can use the app from the battery manufacturer to connect to your energy storage system. This allows you to quickly and easily see how many kW you generate per day, week, or even at that moment. You can also determine when and how much of the stored electricity is released. Furthermore, such an app often displays the price of a kW, so you can see how much money you save or earn.
What is the payback period of a plug-and-play solar panel system?
The payback period of a plug & play solar panel or set of solar panels depends on various factors, such as the price of the solar panels, the abolition of the reversing meter, the price of electricity, and your energy consumption.
Thanks to the decreasing cost of solar panels and rising electricity prices, the payback period per group of up to 800 Wp is on average 2 to 3 years.