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The hero image in this article shows the realities of a lot of balcony solar setups: The panel is held up with zip ties stretched over a large span, which will

The hero image in this article shows the realities of a lot of balcony solar setups: The panel is held up with zip ties stretched over a large span, which will snap after UV exposure in the sun. That panel is going to fall over in a few months. The remaining equipment and wiring is sitting on the ground, one errant kick away from dangling off the edge. That power cable is probably running through a door or window where it gets squished and damaged each time it’s opened and closed. The panel is mounted vertically and behind a thick glass panel, meaning it will be getting much less sunlight than the sticker rating, which she probably used to estimate her savings. Balcony solar setups don’t have to look like this, but many do. You can find much better examples from users who do a good job thinking it all through. Often they’re an impulse purchase by someone like the person in the article who want a hobby or the bragging rights of saying they have solar, but for whom the important details like safely mounting everything and running the wires in a way that will survive 10 years are an afterthought. That’s why I’m starting to change my mind on this balcony solar concept for the masses. I think it would be great if there was a low friction way for qualified individuals to install a reasonable system, but I’m afraid the actual reality will be a bunch of zip-tied solar panels dangling from balconies like this.

szszrk 7mo ago
But let's be fair here, as you do a lot of assumptions: The zip ties are metal zip ties. Those won't fall off because of UV. Panel is hanging inside the balcony. If it falls, it will fall into the balcony - it's bigger then the rails and ground is solid. It's not running behind the glass, the glass looks taken off. I can't be 100% sure, but it seems so. You can't see how the power cable is pushed into the home, so that's pure speculation. The picture looks like taken mid-installation, some metal ties aren't even fastened.
- ofrzeta 7mo ago
  I had to hack the web site's source code to get to this :) but here's the full pic for further forensics https://images-prod.gothamist.com/images/IMG_0113.2e16d0ba.fill-1400x934.jpg https://images-prod.gothamist.com/images/IMG_0113.2e16d0ba.f... I would say you are right that the zips are stainless steel. My guess is they could still snap easily with a lot of wind but actually I don't know how much load they can take.
volkl48 7mo ago
There's probably an outdoor outlet on the deck/balcony it's plugged into. Would be pretty typical to have on a balcony like hers. The balcony appears to have full coverage on the railing - there isn't a gap at the bottom for anything to fall out through. The metal frame makes it looks like there is at first glance, but look at the seam on the glass - it continues further down than that bottom crossbar. This might fall over into the balcony some day and break but it shouldn't really be a hazard to anyone else. Beyond this, the reality is that plenty of the other balconies likely have string lights or other electronic items plugged in 24/7 and with their connectors sitting on the ground on the balcony. Same with having a bunch of unsecured/poorly items that could theoretically get tossed off it by an extreme storm. Not ideal, but I don't see why we should be acting like this is much different from everything else in that sense. ------ Now speaking more generally: - Cities should have reasonable regulations (and likely, already do) about securing anything being positioned where it could fall off and hit someone, particularly over a sidewalk or public space. (As mentioned, I don't think this one is a major hazard upon taking a second glance). - Balcony solar kits should probably at least ship with some safety cabling and have integrated mount points for those cables that are sturdy enough to withstand wind + drop shocks. - My concerns in the US/North America are more around how we handle the much lower ratings of our typical residential circuits, it's easier for a consumer to overload a circuit here with something like this than in Europe. - If we're not requiring a dedicated circuit/single-outlet circuit for it seems difficult to maintain safety unless we're capping the maximum power per system quite low. And if we are requiring a dedicated circuit for it/an electrician to approve it we're greatly limiting who will ever be able to install these. Overall though, I'm still positive on the concept and don't want to see it buried in regulatory hell, especially with how well adoption has apparently gone elsewhere.
- Aurornis 7mo ago
  > The balcony appears to have full coverage on the railing - there isn't a gap at the bottom for anything to fall out through. The metal frame makes it looks like there is at first glance, but look at the seam on the glass - it continues further down than that bottom crossbar. There is a gap at the bottom. You must be looking at something else because the glass panel clearly terminates into the horizontal metal bar. A gap is typically left for water drainage and so debris like leaves don’t get trapped. The panel isn’t going to fall off the balcony, but it could get damaged or become such a nuisance that it’s removed long before it has any chance of payoff. This is actually an easy way to acquire cheap balcony solar gear: Many kits are bought by people who didn’t think about the realities of having it out there all the time and sell it later.

szszrk 7mo ago

But let's be fair here, as you do a lot of assumptions: The zip ties are metal zip ties. Those won't fall off because of UV. Panel is hanging inside the balcony. If it falls, it will fall into the balcony - it's bigger then the rails and ground is solid. It's not running behind the glass, the glass looks taken off. I can't be 100% sure, but it seems so. You can't see how the power cable is pushed into the home, so that's pure speculation. The picture looks like taken mid-installation, some metal ties aren't even fastened.

ofrzeta 7mo ago
I had to hack the web site's source code to get to this :) but here's the full pic for further forensics https://images-prod.gothamist.com/images/IMG_0113.2e16d0ba.fill-1400x934.jpg https://images-prod.gothamist.com/images/IMG_0113.2e16d0ba.f... I would say you are right that the zips are stainless steel. My guess is they could still snap easily with a lot of wind but actually I don't know how much load they can take.

volkl48 7mo ago

There's probably an outdoor outlet on the deck/balcony it's plugged into. Would be pretty typical to have on a balcony like hers. The balcony appears to have full coverage on the railing - there isn't a gap at the bottom for anything to fall out through. The metal frame makes it looks like there is at first glance, but look at the seam on the glass - it continues further down than that bottom crossbar. This might fall over into the balcony some day and break but it shouldn't really be a hazard to anyone else. Beyond this, the reality is that plenty of the other balconies likely have string lights or other electronic items plugged in 24/7 and with their connectors sitting on the ground on the balcony. Same with having a bunch of unsecured/poorly items that could theoretically get tossed off it by an extreme storm. Not ideal, but I don't see why we should be acting like this is much different from everything else in that sense. ------ Now speaking more generally: - Cities should have reasonable regulations (and likely, already do) about securing anything being positioned where it could fall off and hit someone, particularly over a sidewalk or public space. (As mentioned, I don't think this one is a major hazard upon taking a second glance). - Balcony solar kits should probably at least ship with some safety cabling and have integrated mount points for those cables that are sturdy enough to withstand wind + drop shocks. - My concerns in the US/North America are more around how we handle the much lower ratings of our typical residential circuits, it's easier for a consumer to overload a circuit here with something like this than in Europe. - If we're not requiring a dedicated circuit/single-outlet circuit for it seems difficult to maintain safety unless we're capping the maximum power per system quite low. And if we are requiring a dedicated circuit for it/an electrician to approve it we're greatly limiting who will ever be able to install these. Overall though, I'm still positive on the concept and don't want to see it buried in regulatory hell, especially with how well adoption has apparently gone elsewhere.

Aurornis 7mo ago
> The balcony appears to have full coverage on the railing - there isn't a gap at the bottom for anything to fall out through. The metal frame makes it looks like there is at first glance, but look at the seam on the glass - it continues further down than that bottom crossbar. There is a gap at the bottom. You must be looking at something else because the glass panel clearly terminates into the horizontal metal bar. A gap is typically left for water drainage and so debris like leaves don’t get trapped. The panel isn’t going to fall off the balcony, but it could get damaged or become such a nuisance that it’s removed long before it has any chance of payoff. This is actually an easy way to acquire cheap balcony solar gear: Many kits are bought by people who didn’t think about the realities of having it out there all the time and sell it later.