Make your own electricity: tap into the sun with a balcony solar panel

Saving energy will be all the rage for the next few months. Reducing your consumption is one thing, but generating your own electricity is another. Even a small, plug-in solar balcony power system could help you get around an electricity shortfall.

On an almost daily basis, we’re being warned of how tight things could get this winter. and the heat and drought of summer have served as a tangible reminder of the climate crisis. We should and must save energy, whether it’s by taking shorter showers, switching off devices that have been left on standby or putting a lid on the pot while you’re boiling an egg.

Saving electricity is good. Making it yourself is even better if it comes from a sustainable source. It’s possible to do this with a small balcony solar power system. I’m not talking about devices that require a complicated roof installation and an expert to hook them up.

Have you got a south-facing balcony? Or a garden shed with a flat roof that catches the sun? And an external socket? Perfect! You’ll be able to install your own solar balcony mounting power system. A so-called balcony kit comes with one or two solar panels, which you mount on your balcony railings or shed roof. You then plug the cable into your external socket. This way, solar power flows into your own electrical grid automatically.