Offgridtec Balcony power station 1620w hm-1500 DTU-WLite Luxen s5 glass-glass 405w Mini-PV Solaranlage

The balcony power stations from Offgridtec offer a practical solution for generating part of the electricity required for the household yourself, thereby significantly reducing the cost of overall electricity consumption. The system comprises two glass-glass solar modules, a suitable micro inverter including DTU control unit and an ac connection cable that connects the inverter to a socket. The modules are designed so that they can be installed directly next to each other.

How does a balcony power plant work?

The Offgridtec balcony power station is a space-saving Solaranstallation consisting of a solar module and a matching Hoymiles micro inverter to feed the electricity generated into the home's own power grid. Ideally, the inverter is attached directly to the substructure of the solar module and connected to the solar connector on the module. The ac cable is connected via the battery connection of the inverter and routed directly to the appropriate socket. You can choose between a conventional Schuko socket and a Wieland feed-in socket, which is included in the scope of delivery. No special settings are required to use the solar power generated in the home's power grid. If electricity from other sources is available in the house, this is used preferentially and supplemented by mains power if required.

The complete balcony power station system contains:

• 4x Luxen Solar 405w Mono Bifacial Glass-Glass Solar Module s5 Full Black Half-Cut
• 1x Hoymiles hm-1500 inverter
• 1x Hoymiles DTU-WLite data transmission and control unit
• 1x 5m connection cable Betteri bc01 socket to Schuko socket outlet
• 1x Betteri End cap for bc01 socket ip67 Female
• 4x 3m 6mm² MC-4 connection cable plug/socket extension

Luxen Solar s5 Mono bifacial glass-glass 405w solar module

The monocrystalline and bifacial solar module 405w s5 from Luxen Solar (mpn: LNVB-405MD) impresses with a combination of different technologies, such as doping with the metal gallium, which prevents the phenomenon of light-induced degradation. Half-cell technology was also used in production to increase performance. And the manufacturer Luxen is confident in its product: it guarantees a 30-year service life.

At a glance: the Luxen s5

• Gallium doping
• reduced hot-spot temperature
• Half-cut cell technology
• high cell efficiency of over 20%
• 30-year performance guarantee and 12-year product guarantee

Half-cell technology

With half-cell technology ("half-cut"), conventional silicon solar modules are cut in half using a laser. The resulting halves are then centrally connected in parallel, which leads to an increased output of the solar module by reducing resistance losses.

Bifacial cells

Bifacial means two-faced. And the name says it all: the Luxen Solar 405w module is also equipped with solar cells on the back, which means that the sunlight can be absorbed even better and the efficiency of the overall module is increased.

Gallium against light-induced degradation

Light-induced degradation - this means that modules lose some of their efficiency when they first come into contact with light. However, solar cells doped with gallium, such as those from Luxen, still have a high voltage even after prolonged exposure to sunlight and are more stable than cells doped with boron, for example.

Technical data

• maximum output: 405w
• Module voltage (Vmp): 37.33V
• max. current (Imp): 10,85A
• Open circuit voltage (Voc): 44.42V
• Short-circuit current (Isc): 11.82A
• Module efficiency: 20.74%
• Dimensions: 1722 x 1134 x 30 mm
• Operating temperature range: -40°C to +85°C
• max. operating voltage: 1500v DC
• Weight: 23.5 kg

Hoymiles hm-1500 module inverter

The hm-1500 from Hoymiles is the perfect micro inverter for your balcony power plant. The compact lightweight (only 3.75kg including the 2.06m ac cable) is suitable for solar power production with up to four solar panels with an output of up to 470w each. As with all other Hoymiles microinverters, it is suitable for long operating hours and wide PV module applications, as its start-up is very low (only 22v) and the DC input range of the operating voltage (16-60V) is extremely wide.

• Recommended module power: up to 470W
• Max. Input voltage: 60V
• Max. Input current: 4*11.5A
• Rated output power: 1500vA
• Operating voltage range: 16~60V
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 280 x 176 x 33mm
• Weight. 3,75kg

Hoymiles DTU-WLite

The Hoymiles Gateway DTU-WLite is a data transmission unit that uses 2.4G wireless communication to collect information and data from microinverters and transmits it to the Hoymiles monitoring system S-Miles Cloud via WLAN technology.

With the help of your DTU-WLite, you can easily read data and alarms at module level and realize and store remote operation and maintenance of the microinverter system anytime and anywhere via the Hoymiles S-Miles Cloud. The monitoring capacity is limited to 4 modules. This makes the system ideal for small PV systems.

Note:dTU-WLite is connected to a domestic power socket via a 5v usb power supply unit. The power supply unit is not included in the scope of delivery. It works with almost all usb power supply units that can deliver at least 1a power.

S-Miles account status

The S-Miles account can be created directly by the end user. The Hoymiles instructions can be found in the download section of this article.

Socket connection

The balcony power station includes a 5m long ac extension cable with Betteri bc01 plug, suitable for the hm-1500 inverter, at one end and an angled Schuko plug at the other end of the cable. This enables quick and uncomplicated connection to the Schuko sockets (plug type f) commonly used in Germany.

Balcony power stations in Germany

There is currently no law or regulation in Germany governing the generation of solar power for purely personal use. The maximum limit of 600w ac PV power is a reserve value which, according to the current VDE standard, can be fed into an existing socket circuit of a house without overloading it. Nothing is described for independent circuits without additional load. Every electrical installation should be VDE-compliant. However, operating a balcony power station via the standard earthed socket is not prohibited. Registration with the Federal Network Agency is mandatory. However, there are no known cases of fines for non-registration of balcony power stations or insurmountable problems with network operators. Compliance with and implementation of standards and obligations is the responsibility of the system operator. A great deal of technical and legal information can already be found on relevant websites.