diy solar

diy solar

Balcony Solar Panels

dmholmes

New Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2020
Messages
266
Location
Houston
I'm looking for options to temporarily mount panels during grid outages. 3 story townhouse in a set of connected townhouses so I can't use the roof, and no yard for ground mount.

The front patio gets about 1.5 hours of direct overhead sunlight. The west-facing balcony gets about 3.5 hours of sunlight in the afternoon.

Attached are photos of flexible panels temporarily mounted between the west-facing balcony railing and side of the house. If I go this route I will add some PVC support for the panels. I could also hang panels off the other side of the railing over the shared driveway, but that would require some better mounting. I'm not super handy.

I'm thinking of using rigid panels in the same fashion as the flexible panels in the photo. With the right height (about 50 inches) they would sit at about the same angle as the flexible panels in the photo and would sit against the side of the house without any attachment. I'm reluctant to drill into the house siding. I could use something like sandbags and rope from below the panels for added resistance.

So, would rigid panels pose to much of being lifted by wind? Stick with flexible panels? Something else?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1148 copy.jpg
    IMG_1148 copy.jpg
    352.7 KB · Views: 27
  • IMG_1149 copy.jpg
    IMG_1149 copy.jpg
    372.9 KB · Views: 26
Yes. Rigid solar panels need to be solidly mounted to prevent them from hurting people and damaging property. The flexible ones too, but I think they would do a lot less damage.
 
Yes. Rigid solar panels need to be solidly mounted to prevent them from hurting people and damaging property. The flexible ones too, but I think they would do a lot less damage.
Completely agree under typical usage. These would only be in place for about 3 hours and taken down, and only when grid is down. The frame would be attached to the balcony railing with something like metal plumbing tape. I could do the same for the side resting against the house if I drill into the siding, but it's not a typical solid mounting of course.

I am still leaning towards the flexible panels but they do require more work and won't get as much output.
 
A little knockdown wood frame would work. Watch the weather and bring them in if windy. Tie them to something if you like.

Looks like you could bracket them to the rail and wedge against the wall with foam.

Though what you have looks fine.

Only 5-6 hours of good production per day anyway.
 
I'm looking for options to temporarily mount panels during grid outages. 3 story townhouse in a set of connected townhouses so I can't use the roof, and no yard for ground mount.

The front patio gets about 1.5 hours of direct overhead sunlight. The west-facing balcony gets about 3.5 hours of sunlight in the afternoon.

Attached are photos of flexible panels temporarily mounted between the west-facing balcony railing and side of the house. If I go this route I will add some PVC support for the panels. I could also hang panels off the other side of the railing over the shared driveway, but that would require some better mounting. I'm not super handy.

I'm thinking of using rigid panels in the same fashion as the flexible panels in the photo. With the right height (about 50 inches) they would sit at about the same angle as the flexible panels in the photo and would sit against the side of the house without any attachment. I'm reluctant to drill into the house siding. I could use something like sandbags and rope from below the panels for added resistance.

So, would rigid panels pose to much of being lifted by wind? Stick with flexible panels? Something else?

Google: Balkonkraftwerk photos. There is a lot good solution.
Germans use it mainly with microinverters, or with battery and GTIL inverter.
But can be used off-grid too.
 
A little knockdown wood frame would work. Watch the weather and bring them in if windy. Tie them to something if you like.

Looks like you could bracket them to the rail and wedge against the wall with foam.

Though what you have looks fine.

Only 5-6 hours of good production per day anyway.
That was kind of the idea after originally testing these. I would buy a few more flexible panels and add minimal PVC for support. But... I'd rather not build framing if I don't have to, and the flexible panels are not getting the output a rigid panel would. That's pretty relevant in the context of needing to generate as much power as possible in a limited time during grid outage. That's why I am contemplating using rigid panels instead. They already have the frame so when attached to the balcony they would just naturally rest against the side of the house at the correct angle if they are tall enough. Lifting from wind is the only concern if they are not attached on the house side.
 
I used 3/4 inch emt MakerPipe fittings for my portable flex panels. The 1 inch emt fittings are substantial and should be able to handle rigid panels. Lots of fitting available for attaching emt.

 
What is your needed wattage? If really low (cell phones and lights), then this may be ok. If you are thinking you will run a refrigerator or air conditioner, I don’t think you will get there.
 
What is your needed wattage? If really low (cell phones and lights), then this may be ok. If you are thinking you will run a refrigerator or air conditioner, I don’t think you will get there.
Nothing exact, but as much as possible. I have a few power stations and a couple of 100ah 12v batteries for storage. A tri-fuel generator also, but want the solar generation also.

There is room on the balcony for at least 700w of flexible panels, more for rigid. And even more if I decide to use the outside of the railing. However, it seems like most people here and another forum have thought the rigid panels are not a good idea here. So I use rigid panels and lay them on the ground underneath where the balcony is when needed. I'll get a little less sunlight there but don't have to worry about elevating the panels to avoid the balcony railing shadow. I do have to keep neighbors from running over them in our shared driveway though.
 
Back
Top