Independent guide to plug-in solar, batteries and backup power in Europe: how balcony solar works, the rules country by country, storage and power stations compared, and how the grid behind it all works.https://www.eppsa.eu/https://www.eppsa.eu/backup/blackout-backup-power/https://www.eppsa.eu/backup/blackout-backup-power/Why plug-in solar switches off in a power cut, what keeps the fridge, router and lights running instead, and how to plan backup power at home safely.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/backup/portable-power-stations/https://www.eppsa.eu/backup/portable-power-stations/Four 1 kWh portable power stations compared on their data sheets: capacity, output, LFP cells, rated cycles and UPS switchover. Checked October 2026.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/grid/europe-power-mix/https://www.eppsa.eu/grid/europe-power-mix/Where Europe’s electricity comes from: in 2025 wind and solar produced more than fossil fuels in the EU for the first time. Sources, country differences and data.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/grid/flue-gas-cleaning-explained/https://www.eppsa.eu/grid/flue-gas-cleaning-explained/How power plants remove dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury from their exhaust, and how EU best available techniques set the limits.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/grid/how-power-plants-work/https://www.eppsa.eu/grid/how-power-plants-work/How coal, gas, biomass and nuclear plants turn heat into electricity, what efficiency means, and why combined cycle and combined heat and power do better.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/grid/virtual-power-plants/https://www.eppsa.eu/grid/virtual-power-plants/What a virtual power plant is, how aggregators pool home batteries, cars and heat pumps, which grid services they provide and what owners should check.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/800-watt-limit/https://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/800-watt-limit/Why plug-in solar is capped at 800 VA, why the cap applies to the inverter rather than the panels, and how the limit differs across the UK and Europe.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/how-it-works/https://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/how-it-works/How a plug-in solar kit turns sunlight into mains power for your home: panels, microinverter, plug and what happens to the electricity you do not use.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/microinverters/https://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/microinverters/What to compare when choosing a microinverter for plug-in solar: output, inputs, grid protection, certificates, monitoring and offline operation.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/mounting-options/https://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/mounting-options/Where plug-in solar panels can go, how orientation and tilt change output, and what to check on wind, weight and permission before fixing anything.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/renters-and-flats/https://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/renters-and-flats/Plug-in solar suits flats and rented homes, but fixing panels outside usually needs consent. What tenants and leaseholders should check and how to ask.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/yield-and-payback/https://www.eppsa.eu/plug-in-solar/yield-and-payback/Estimate what a plug-in solar kit produces and how long it takes to pay back, using your location, self-consumption, electricity price and kit cost.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/rules/austria-switzerland/https://www.eppsa.eu/rules/austria-switzerland/Austria allows 800 W plug-in solar with a grid operator notice, Switzerland 600 W with a notice. Limits, plugs, meters and renting, with sources.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/rules/france-benelux/https://www.eppsa.eu/rules/france-benelux/France uses a free Enedis self-consumption agreement, Belgium splits rules by region, the Netherlands ends net metering in 2027. What applies where.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/rules/germany/https://www.eppsa.eu/rules/germany/Germany allows plug-in solar up to 800 VA inverter output with a single online registration. What the rules say on modules, meters, plugs and renting.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/rules/southern-europe/https://www.eppsa.eu/rules/southern-europe/More sun, different paperwork: how plug-in solar fits Spain’s self-consumption decree, Italy’s Modello Unico and Portugal’s small-system rules.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/rules/uk-ireland/https://www.eppsa.eu/rules/uk-ireland/Plug-in solar became legal in Great Britain on 27 August 2026. What the 800 VA rule, G98 notification and BS 7671 mean for you, and where Ireland stands.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/storage/battery-systems-compared/https://www.eppsa.eu/storage/battery-systems-compared/Plug-in solar batteries compared on their data sheets: capacity, inputs, expansion, control and backup sockets, plus what to check first. Checked October 2026.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/storage/home-battery-sizing/https://www.eppsa.eu/storage/home-battery-sizing/How to size a home battery for rooftop solar: start from your evening and night use and your solar surplus, not from the biggest number in the brochure.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/storage/plug-in-solar-with-battery/https://www.eppsa.eu/storage/plug-in-solar-with-battery/A battery shifts midday solar power into the evening. How to work out whether that saves enough to cover its price, step by step, and which rules apply.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/storage/zero-feed-in-smart-meter/https://www.eppsa.eu/storage/zero-feed-in-smart-meter/How a meter reader lets a plug-in solar battery release only what your home is using, which meters support it, and where the limits of zero export are.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/tariffs/dynamic-electricity-tariffs/https://www.eppsa.eu/tariffs/dynamic-electricity-tariffs/How dynamic and time-of-use tariffs work, why they need a smart meter, and when a home battery can earn extra by charging cheap and discharging dear.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.eppsa.eu/tariffs/feed-in-vs-self-consumption/https://www.eppsa.eu/tariffs/feed-in-vs-self-consumption/Why a kilowatt-hour you use yourself is usually worth far more than one you export, how to estimate your self-consumption share, and how export schemes differ.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT