Batteries and home storage
Without storage, much of what a balcony system produces at midday flows into the grid unused. A battery shifts it into the evening, at a price. This section shows how to work out whether that trade is worth it, compares the common system types on their data sheets and explains sizing for larger home batteries.
4 pages
In this section
How big should a home battery be? A sizing guide
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.
Plug-in solar battery systems compared (data sheets)
Plug-in solar batteries compared on their data sheets: capacity, inputs, expansion, control and backup sockets, plus what to check first. Checked October 2026.
Plug-in solar with a battery: is it worth it?
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.
Zero export with a smart meter reader: how it works
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.
Other sections
Plug-in solar
How balcony and plug-in solar kits work, what the 800 W limit really means, how to mount them and how to work out whether one pays off for you.
Backup power
Portable power stations compared on their data sheets, and what really keeps the lights, the fridge and the router running during a power cut.
Plug-in solar rules by country
Registration, power limits, plugs and landlord rules for plug-in solar across Europe, from Germany and the newly opened UK market to France, Benelux and the south.
Tariffs and self-consumption
How dynamic electricity tariffs work with a battery, and whether exporting solar power or using it yourself pays more.
Power plants and the grid
How thermal power plants work, how flue gas cleaning removes dust, sulphur, nitrogen oxides and mercury, Europe's electricity mix and how home batteries join virtual power plants.