Options that allow renters to take advantage of solar power include:
The PowerStream microinverter looks a bit like an internet router.
I tested the PowerStream micro inverter using the EcoFlow Delta Max and Delta 2 Max.
Here's how the PowerStream kit works: lay the solar panels on your roof, in your garden or attach them to the railings of your apartment balcony and plug them into the microinverter. That then plugs into both the power station and your home's electrical outlet.
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Once set up through the EcoFlow app (a necessary step, but it's available on both iOS and Android), you'll be able to control the flow of energy from the solar panels, directing it toward your home, into the battery or splitting the power between both, charging the battery more slowly while continuing to provide some solar energy to your home.
A portable power station with a solar system designed for a balcony.
The idea is that smaller apartments are able to generate solar energy throughout the day, using some of that power to supplement the power being taken from the grid, while storing excess power in the battery to continue using solar energy overnight -- or to be kept as a backup in case of power outages. While solar solutions for balconies are available from various companies, EcoFlow says it is the first to offer a version that combines home grid usage and battery storage of energy.
I'm not allowed to install solar panels on my roof, so instead I have to unfold portable panels when the sun comes out.
I've been testing the kit for about a week from my home in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I'm impressed so far. Setting the kit up is genuinely a plug-and-play affair and using the app to monitor the input from the solar panels and divert it into the battery, into my home grid or combining the two is straightforward.
My house is historically listed, so local bylaws mean I'm not allowed to install physical solar panels on my roof. Instead, I've been using EcoFlow's 400-watt portable panel, simply laying it on my roof (via my upstairs window) and feeding the cable back inside and into a power bank. Previously, I've then just carried that powerbank to wherever I want to use the power (usually my office), but the new microinverter means I'm able to leave the battery next to the window and feed that energy directly into my home grid.
You'll need to use the EcoFlow app to adjust the flow of power, but it makes it easy to see how much your solar panels are drawing in.
While I've been testing it with EcoFlow's new Delta 2 Max power station and older Delta Max, the PowerStream microinverter will work with any of the company's batteries and can be used with the supplemental battery packs for the Delta series, allowing for more energy storage. While you can't yet daisy-chain different power station models together, it's a simple process to unplug the microinverter from one power station when full and plug it into a different one, if you have different models.
The PowerStream system is also compatible with EcoFlow's new smart plugs that sit between your device and your home grid, allowing you, in theory, to direct your solar power specifically to whatever device you've plugged in. I say "in theory" as I've not been able to test these properly since my setup arrived, so we'll reserve judgment on the long-term usefulness of the plugs following deeper testing.
The EcoFlow Smart Plugs aren't required, but do allow you to direct the solar power to specific devices, rather than the whole home.
But despite a couple of teething problems typical when reviewing early-access hardware, I'm pleased with the performance from the system. And I'm extremely excited about being able to properly add solar power to my home without having to physically install panels or needing complicated switching boxes professionally installed alongside my power breaker.
If you're living in a rented apartment without access to a roof, but with a balcony, the PowerStream might be a great option to consider. While I'm not generating enough solar power to run my whole home, those of you with more minimal power needs might be able to use it as a total off-grid power solution.
Read More: CNET's Best Portable Power Stations for May 2023
Renters can’t access rooftop solar benefits because they don''t own their roofs – but this workaround will reduce your electricity bill.
Electrek spoke with Bruce Stewart, CEO of Perch Energy, one of the US''s largest pure-play community solar providers that’s connected over 23,000 subscriptions, about how renters can tap into solar. And community solar’s potential is vast – the US could add nearly 1 terawatt of community solar capacity if all technically viable community solar is deployed, according to a new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Electrek: How does community solar plug the gap for renters?
Bruce Stewart: Community solar helps to fill this "missing middle" of solar production in a way that renters and disadvantaged communities can access.
Renters can sign up through community solar providers to subscribe to a certain amount of solar "credits" proportional to their monthly electricity usage. These credits cover most or all of the charges on their utility bill and come at a discount through community solar providers.
For example, if their electricity bill is $100, they would see $100 in credits from their community solar subscription reducing their electricity bill to $0. You pay for the credits, but at a discount somewhere between 5-20% depending on the project. This would net the customer in this scenario anywhere from $5-20 a month in savings off their electricity bill.
So now, people who don''t have their own panels can share in a solar farm and see electric bill reductions, just like rooftop solar owners but without the capital investment.
Electrek: Where do community solar panels go?
In the community! On top of schools, houses of worship, small businesses, community centers, factory rooftops, over parking lots and garages, former industrial areas not currently suitable for redevelopment – you name it.
Community solar is perfect for filling in the nooks and crannies of urban, suburban, or rural areas that would otherwise go unused.
Electrek: How else does it help renters?
Bruce Stewart: States receive federal funding to incentivize more solar development, allowing solar project owners to pass on energy bill discounts to residents and businesses like a reward for supporting clean energy development.
By connecting with a community solar company, renters can subscribe to a local solar farm for free, helping the connected utility to meet its state-set renewable electricity standard by sending clean power to the grid.
Community solar companies do the legwork and renters get to enjoy the benefits seamlessly, with no sign up or cancellation fees. A community solar subscription is also portable, meaning you can move to a new residence and your subscription will still be valid if it''s in the same utility service territory. Renters tend to change their living situations more frequently, so community solar really is a flexible benefit for them.
With energy prices on the rise, Electrek wants to help as many people as possible take advantage of the benefits of solar, so we''ve teamed up with EnergySage to help you tap into community solar. Community solar saves renters and homeowners 5-20% on their electric bill, there''s no equipment and maintenance, and it''s fast and easy to sign up (no upfront costs). EnergySage also has dedicated Energy Advisers to answer any questions you have about community solar and help you sign up. Subscribe and save here. – ad*
Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac . Check out her personal blog.
Solar energy is not only renewable, it''s clean. When the power of the sun is harnessed for energy, it doesn''t produce the fossil fuel emissions like electric power does. By choosing solar as your energy source, you are reducing your carbon footprint. But you don''t have to own a home with solar panels to tap into clean energy.
The easiest way to go solar as a renter, of course, is to move into a building that already has solar panels installed on the roof. However, if solar panels for apartments don''t have much of a presence in your community, there are other ways of harnessing the power of solar energy and reducing your carbon footprint as a tenant.
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