Recently, resourceful representatives have been trying to sell so-called plug-in photovoltaic systems to unsuspecting people. They argue with dubious promises and false statements. Experts from Mittelhessen Netz GmbH therefore advise caution.
Plug-in PV systems have been available on the market for many years. They were originally developed to produce a few kilowatt hours of electricity with the power of the sun in allotment gardens or on campsites, for example. Now resourceful salespeople have jumped on the bandwagon and are offering such systems at your doorstep. They claim that a plug-in PV system can produce electricity for the household and thus save money. What's more, installation is very easy: simply plug it into the socket and you're done.
"This is precisely not permitted," warns Bernd Debus, the master electrician responsible for this topic at Mittelhessen Netz GmbH (MIT.N). In fact, a number of important criteria must be met if such a system is really to feed electricity into an existing grid. This is because the same legal regulations and technical connection conditions apply to plug-in systems as to all other permanently installed photovoltaic systems. This means that the feed-in is only permitted via a specially installed circuit in the sub-distribution board. The system must also be registered with the grid operator. The connection itself requires plug connections that are safe to touch and cannot be mixed up - a Schuko plug does not offer this. In addition, only an electrician listed in the grid operator's directory may connect the system. And last but not least, a meter with a backstop is required.
"It is doubtful whether a plug-in photovoltaic system is actually suitable for reducing the electricity bill if all these regulations are complied with and the purchase price is not insignificant," summarises Bernd Debus. Consequently, he advises all those affected to do their sums very carefully before making a purchase and never to buy such a system on the doorstep.
22.09.2017