Balcony power stations: VDE standard for Schuko plugs significantly delayed 275 comments
Image: Julianafeldt
The VDE standard DIN VDE V 0126-95 “Plug-in solar devices”, which also regulates the connection of balcony power stations, is still only a draft. The final standard is no longer expected to be released this year, as planned.
The standard could be delayed until the second quarter of 2025
The VDE has therefore still not officially approved the usual daily connection of a balcony power station via a conventional Schuko socket. According to the Association for Electrical, Electronics and Information Technology (VDE), the approval process followed by the publication of the standard could even extend until the second quarter of 2025.
The VDE had already published a draft new standard for balcony power stations in the spring, for which the objection period ran until July 3 and allowed comments on the draft on the VDE platform and submission of suggestions for changes. .
The comments have now been viewed and discussed internally, but will only be discussed with commenters at today’s opposition public consultation. Only after this consultation will further measures be discussed and decided, the VDE told Golem.
Increasing part of the design to 800 watts
The draft standard DIN VDE V 0126-95 also regulates the release of the output power of balcony power plants to 800 watts, as has already been legally done by the Solar Package I resolution of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat – but the standard is not suitable. on this point either, although the VDE has already stated that 800 watts are permitted, but not via a standard Schuko socket.
Protective contact plug with additional protection device
In section “6.2 Connectors and socket devices” of the draft standard DIN VDE V 0126-95, point 6.2.3.2, the use of a Schuko plug is specified, according to VDE a commercially available household socket device according to DIN 49441-2 and DIN VDE 0620-2-1 (VDE 0620-2-1), so that no separate power socket is not necessary, even according to VDE. Balcony power stations would no longer be necessary. If a mini photovoltaic system is connected to a conventional household socket via a protective contact plug, basic protection and electrical safety must be guaranteed mechanically or electromechanically in accordance with the VDE draft. This states that the connector head can either have a mechanical separation, which ensures that people cannot touch any live conductors, or galvanic isolation within the inverter.
Module power 960 or 2000 watts?
While the legislator has limited the maximum power of the modules of balcony power stations to 2,000 watts, which applies regardless of the maximum output power of the inverter of 800 watts, the VDE sets a limit in its standard of the total power of the modules at 960 watts. This point, among others, has been controversially publicly discussed.
As a protective measure, the module power limitation desired by the VDE is intended to limit the period during which the full 800 watts are actually present on the output side of the inverter and also to put additional strain on the power line of the home network.
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