Frequently Asked Questions

In short: up to 50% of the electricity cost.

A plug & play solar kit produces solar energy for self consumption at home. The energy it produces is used directly by your household appliances. This avoids your household having to buy that energy from your power company, lowering your power bills.

Your savings are therefore determined by how much energy your kit produces how much you pay your power company per kWh, with all extra costs and taxes included

For example, if your kit produces 1.500 kWh per year and you pay €0,30/kWh to your power company, you save €450 per year (1.500 kWh x €0,30/kWh = €450). You can calculate how much you can save at your home address with our Savings Calculator.

How much the savings are on your overall electricity bill depends on how much you consume in total. A house consumes much more than an apartment, so the effect of a solar kit is likely higher for an apartment. The more people you are in the household, the higher your total consumption.

Since plug & play solar kits are limited to 800 W by law, for households of 1-3 people the savings of a plug & play solar kit will be higher as a percentage of total electricity consumption than for larger households that consume more. Also, if you have a lot of high consumption devices on for a lot of time, like air conditioners, water boilers, ovens etc, your consumption is likely much higher than the 800 W of peak output your kit can deliver.

But take into consideration that some savings is better than no savings at all. And the higher your energy consumption is, the more likely it is that you will consume 100% of your kit’s power, maximizing your economic returns.

In short: most likely most of the time.

Your kit’s production of electricity is almost never the exact same as the consumption of your household. If you produce less than you consume, then 100% of your production is used on the spot, maximizing the economic profitability of your kit as you take full advantage of the savings.

If you produce more than you consume, you have several options:

• You can install a “zero discharge” device on your distribution panel, that lowers your kit’s production and avoids any spillover of excess electricity to the power grid
• You can feed the excess energy to the power grid (for free or by getting paid)
• You can add a battery to your kit, and store the excess energy during sunshine hours, to use it when the sun doesn't shine.

A zero discharge device doesn’t make a lot of sense in practical terms, as your surplus energy will be low or non-existent. And yet, your local regulation might require you to install it. Also, we have heard of power companies that (absurdly!) count excess energy as consumption and charge you for it. This is illegal and abusive behavior! Should this be the case, contact us and we will help you fight your power company to stop this practice.

Usually you can avoid installing a zero discharge device by having an electrician certify your installation. This has the added benefit that you can claim compensation for the energy you feed into the network.

You might want to check the economic benefits though, as certification costs money (for the certificate and in some regions for government fees). The amount of energy you feed into the network is likely to be low, and the price per kWh you will get paid is normally much lower than the one you pay for a kWh you consume. Some power companies offer “virtual batteries”, that make you use the kWh you feed into the network at other times.

If you feed a lot of energy to the power network, you probably want to install a battery, store the excess energy, and use it when the sun doesn’t shine. Our battery systems are modular, and you can install up to 4 batteries of 1kWh each in the same system. This allows you to start small, and add batteries as you see your excess energy increase.

In short: absolutely yes.

Your terrace might offer you a variety of options to install your plug & play solar kit. Select the location with the most sunshine exposure, no shade, and where an installation is safe. Customers with bigger terraces (like roof tops) generally prefer to use our Performance kits with a 20° mount, since these give the highest production levels, are very easy to set up (see video) and can be moved quickly if needed.

If you have a pergola on your terrace, you might want to use that structure to put panels on it, for example with a Basic Performance kit. If your pergola has no inclination, you can add one with our 20° mount and fix that to the pergola.

Your terrace railing might also be a good location to install a kit, although you should consider the safety aspect of hanging 20-25 kg solar panels on your railing. We don’t recommend that for railings higher than 4 meters and with pedestrian traffic under them. For these installations, our Light kits are the far better option.

You can also drill your kit to a wall, we have mount structures for this application as well.

In short: no.

Your kit produces electricity depending on the intensity of sunshine your solar panels are exposed to. This is not at the same level all day long. Starting from zero at night, during the morning solar production increases and peaks around noon, only to slowly decrease again until the sun goes down. Your kit’s energy production curve follows the same pattern, and usually resembles a bell curve, with a peak at noon.

Also, keep in mind that any solar panel’s power output is measured in Wp (Watt peak), a theoretical measurement unit that indicates the maximum (peak) output of a panel under perfect testing conditions. In real life these conditions are seldom met, so even at noon your panels will only get close to but not reach their indicated Wp levels.

We have recently launched a new generation of plug & play solar kits, that uses bifacial solar panels. These can generate power from both sides of the panel, capturing sunshine that hits the back of the panel as well as overall reflection of sunshine. This can increase a panel’s production of up to 30% in theory, in practice this is rather in the 15% range.

These panels can get very close to their declared Wp output for longer periods during the day, depending on their installation location, angle and orientation.

In short: much easier than you might think.

A Plug & Play Solar Kit generates energy from the sun with its solar panels. The panels’ AC power is converted into DC power used in your household by the kit’s micro inverter. A special cable connects the micro inverter to a normal Schuko plug in your home, feeding your kit’s power into your household’s power circuit.

That circuit is like a system of canals. At different points there are devices that consume energy. The sum of that energy consumption is what at the end of the canal is fed from your power company into your household. Your power meter counts how much that power is at any time.

If you now connect a Plug & Play Solar Kit to your canal, that kit immits power into that network. The connected devices use that power first. If you have several power circuits at home, these all meet at the distribution panel, that is in turn connected to your power meter and the grid. If there is excess power in the circuit your kit is connected to, it will spill over first to your other circuits that are demanding energy.

Check out our explanation video on how this circuit works.

In short: yes absolutely, we wouldn’t be selling them otherwise.

A “plug & play” solar kit is a kit that you can self install yourself. As per EU Directive 2016/631 and the RfG Network Code this is allowed for kits with a maximum output of 800 W. The maximum output is determined by the micro inverter of the kit.

The EU directive is in line with the electrical codes of most European countries, incl. Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Austria, Poland or Luxembourg.

There are also kits with power greater than 800 W. Any combination of solar panels and other equipment (generally an inverter or cables) can be called a “kit”. But over 800 W of output, these kits are not “plug & play”, since you need a certified installer to install it.

Also, beyond technical code related to electrical or photovoltaic installations, other regulations might apply. If you live in a building that is protected by heritage regulations, you might want to check with your local administration if you are allowed to install a kit. If special regulations apply to the facade of your building, or its height, or location, you also want to check with your local administration or the building administrator.

From the practical experience of our customers we hear that occasionally administrations are not familiar with plug & play solar kits, and try to forbid something they don’t know. If you speak to them, always insist on having them give you a very clear reason, with an explicit reference to the law or regulation that supposedly doesn’t allow the installation. You can then contact us to verify if this is true.

At Robinsun, we are associated with organizations that represent the solar power industry. These organizations have legal departments that fight off obstruction from public administrations or other actors every day, to open the way for the deployment of solar power everywhere. In many cases we see how vested interests might be behind these obstructions, or lack of knowledge of technical aspects or the law itself.

Also, whoever tries to prohibit you to generate clean, renewable energy for your own self consumption in your home, your private space, should better have a really valid argument to do so. In times where the effects of climate change are ever more tangible to ever more people around the world, an administration should not stand in the way of citizens doing the right thing. Just don’t take “no” for an answer easily.

In short: through the electricity wires of your home.

Your solar panel is connected directly to your home power network through one of your sockets. The solar power then flows through your existing wires to the other sockets of your home, where your connected appliances consume the kit’s electricity.

Since electricity always follows the shortest path of resistance, your solar power is the first to be used by your appliances at any time.

In short: 25-30 years at least.

The lifetime of a kit is determined by the lifetime of its 2 key components: the solar panels and the micro inverter.

Solar panel manufacturers generally guarantee production for 25 to 30 years. This means that your panels will produce electricity for at least that time. Likely they will do so a lot longer. Over time, production of panels decreases, every year by a little bit. Check your panels’ degradation factor.

Micro inverters usually come with a 10 to 12 years warranty by the manufacturer. Also in this case it’s likely they will work a lot longer. A micro inverter is easy to swap out should this be required, to extend the lifespan of your kit for as long as the panels produce.

They say only true love lasts forever, but plug & play solar kits can also give you a lot of love for a long time.

In short: a Performance kit in Europe produces up to 1.500 kWh/year, while a Light kit can reach 1.100 kWh/year.

But it depends on several factors. The exact answer is personalized, depending on the location of installation, orientation and azimuth as well as the type of kit you choose. Our Savings Calculator helps you find the exact answer for your installation.

We use the European Commission’s PV GIS database, a standard used by all major photovoltaic installers in Europe, to calculate the estimated yearly electricity production of your kit. The result is usually a conservative estimate.

When considering the installation of a plug & play solar kit, look for the place in your household with the most unimpeded sunshine hours. This can be your terrace or balcony, or a pergola, or a wall. Maybe you have a flat roof nearby that you can use. At Robinsun we offer kits for a wide range of installation locations, to help you install your kit where it produces most for you.

In short: check your local recycling regulations.

Plug & play solar kits generate clean energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, in order for them to be fully sustainable, it is crucial to dispose of them correctly once their life cycle is over.

Solar panels contain precious components that are in high demand, and will likely be accepted for recycling by your local recycling point without any issues.

The components of our kits have a production warranty of up to 30 years. Nonetheless, when the day comes, it is very important to dispose of them correctly. Up to 90% of a solar panel’s components can be recycled. That’s why the EU directive 2012/19 makes it mandatory for solar panels to be recycled at the end of their lifecycle. This is no different to your other home appliances, such as microwaves, fridges or televisions.

Thus, once a component of your plug & play solar kit reaches the end of its life cycle, you can replace it with a new one and dispose of the old one. Some EU countries (such as Spain and France) recycle electronics for free, while other countries will require you to pay a small fee for the recycling of your electronics (for example, in Italy this fee is €10).

In short: yes it should.

A balcony railing must be designed to hold the weight of a person, preventing it from falling off a balcony. A plug & play solar kit weighs between 8 kg and 60 kg, depending on how many and what type of panels you install. This is in any case less than the weight of an adult person, and your balcony railing should be able to hold it.

If you have doubts about the solidity of your balcony railing, consider replacing it. Your building code might require you to do so.

At Robinsun we use two different types of panels for our kits. Performance kits work with conventional, high performance panels. These produce more energy per square meter, but usually weigh between 20 and 25 kg per panel. Light kits use ultra light panels, that with just 20% of a performance panel’s weight produce 80% of the electricity. These panels are particularly designed for installations where weight is an issue.

In short: yes, we wouldn’t be selling them otherwise.

Plug & play solar kits are absolutely safe and comply with all safety norms and regulations in Europe. Also read our article on electrical regulations. Key advantages of our kits:

• Installation can be done easily by one or two people.
• Kits come with all necessary accessories to install them safely.
• All components of our kits are approved for use in European markets, made by top quality manufacturers and have passed all certification requirements.
• The solar panels are extremely sturdy and can resist extreme temperatures and severe weather conditions.

In short: yes.

You need a “plug” to “play”. Your kit must be connected to your household’s power network to feed its power into it. This requires a cable to connect the micro inverter to your network. Robinsun kits come with a Schuko plug, the de facto standard in Europe.

Please make sure that you use a safe outdoor plug to connect your kit. Also we recommend connecting the kit directly, without the use of other extension cables. If you need a connection cable that is longer than 5 m, contact us for a custom made cable.

Should you not have a power socket available, any electrician or handyman can install one for you easily and quickly.

In short: south facing, with a 30 degrees inclination.

Plug & play solar kits generate electricity by exposing solar panels to solar radiation. The longer you expose the panel to direct sunshine, the more electricity it produces.

The panel's orientation (or azimuth) also directly affects the amount of sun exposure the panel receives:

• A southern orientation will give you the longest sunshine exposure during the day, making your kit produce the most amount of electricity.
• An eastern orientation will generate power earlier in the mornings, but stop at lunchtime.
• A western orientation will not start until lunchtime, but will last until the end of the day.

Other factors influencing the amount of electricity your Plug & Play Solar Kit produces are:

• The inclination (or slope) of the panels. In Europe a 30-35 degree inclination is generally best at capturing solar radiation.
• An eternal temperature of 25 degrees Celsius is the ideal production temperature for solar panels, although the panels can operate even at extreme temperatures between -40 and +85 degrees Celsius, just producing less efficiently.

The amount of sunshine hours is also key. The presence of clouds or shade can reduce electricity production, but do not eliminate it. Even on a cloudy day your solar kit will produce for you.

In short: enough space to install the kit on.

Some of our customers that want to install a kit on their balcony have limited space available. The panel’s dimensions are the delimiting factor. Depending on the kit you choose, check the panel dimensions versus the space you have available for installation.

Should you have several smaller spaces available, you can also install 2 kits of one panel each. Make sure your railing is in good conditions and robust enough to hold your kit safely.

In short: you.

Our plug & play solar kits are meant to be self-installed. You do not need an installer nor electrician, saving you a lot of time, money and peace of mind. Each kit comes with simple and clear installation instructions. We also offer plenty of tutorial videos on our YouTube channel that show you how to set up your kit.

You will need a few standard tools, like a wrench or screwdriver, as per the installation instructions that come with your kit. If you have ever set up a simple piece of furniture, and plugged in a microwave or coffee maker, you most certainly will manage to install a plug & play solar kit easily.

In short: somebody needs to receive the kit when it’s delivered.

If you’re not at home, make sure somebody else is there. The shipment company might alert you about the delivery date and time. You can reach out to them to agree on the time that is best for you.

If you're not home, the carrier might drop your kit at an alternative location or leave it with your doorman and you will have to pick it up there. Since the solar panels of your kit are big, and sometimes heavy, it is convenient to have the carrier deliver it to your doorstep when you are at home.

In short: right here, from our website.

At Robinsun, we sell our kits online, directly to our customers. This cuts out the middlemen and allows us to offer you the best and latest technology on the market at the lowest prices you will find anywhere.

We ship daily with specialized shipment companies to our customers' homes all over Europe. You can pay easily and safely on our website. You have up to 30 days to return your kit should you change your mind.

Delivery times are indicated in the check-out process, depending on the shipment options available in your region. We normally process orders in less than 24 working hours, the rest of the delivery time depends on the shipment company. Once your shipment is prepared, we will send you a confirmation email with tracking information. The carrier should also contact you by phone to arrange the delivery date and time.

Make sure you leave us your correct and complete email and phone number to keep you updated on your shipment.

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