Plug-in solar in Dresden: yield and saving in 2026
On a south-east balcony, 900 Wp produce about 645 kWh a year in Dresden; a single-person household using 1,500 kWh saves €112.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Saving per year
€156
687 kWh of solar power, 63 % of it used at home
| Generation per year | 687 kWh |
|---|---|
| of which used at home | 431 kWh · 63 % |
| into the grid, unpaid | 256 kWh |
| clipped by the inverter (800 VA) | 2 kWh |
| Saving on the electricity bill | €156 |
| Payback | 2.9 years |
| Saving over 20 years | €3,123 |
Step-by-step calculation
- Postcode 01067 (area of Dresden): 1,071 kWh per kWp at 35° south according to PVGIS for the centre of the postcode.
- Tilt 90° and the chosen direction: 765 kWh per kWp. Times 0.90 kWp: 689 kWh before the inverter.
- Quarter-hour by quarter-hour against 74 metered households using 2,500 kWh a year: the household uses 63 % of the output itself.
- 431 kWh × 36.2 ct = €156 a year; €450 purchase price ÷ saving = payback.
Estimate based on average weather 2005 to 2023 (PVGIS) and metered household loads. A single year can differ by a few per cent. How we calculate
Dresden is one of the big cities where plug-in solar (Balkonkraftwerk) is most widespread: the Market Master Data Register lists 6,668 plug-in devices in operation, 11.8 per 1,000 residents, rank 3 among the 15 cities compared, though below the national 18.3. For every solar system on a Dresden building there are 0.76 plug-in devices. PVGIS gives 1,071 kWh per kilowatt peak at 35 degrees south for postcode 01067, rank 6. The winter half stands out: November to February bring 16.5 % of the annual yield, more than in almost every other city compared. A 900 Wp device hanging upright facing south-east produces about 645 kWh, facing south 687 kWh, facing south-west 629 kWh. A single person using 1,500 kWh consumes 48 % of the south-east output and saves €112 a year at 36.2 cents per kWh, so €450 of purchase cost is recovered after 4.0 years.
Dresden between the Elbe valley and the register
| Value | Dresden | Context |
|---|---|---|
| PVGIS yield per kWp, 35° south | 1,071 kWh | rank 6 of 15 |
| Share November to February | 16.5 % | rank 3 of 15 |
| Plug-in devices per 1,000 residents | 11.8 | rank 3, Germany 18.3 |
| Plug-in devices per building system | 0.76 | rank 2 |
| Building systems on full feed-in | 18 % | rank 2, Germany 22 % |
| Roof systems facing south-east or south-west | 35 % | facing south 36 % |
When the days get short
In summer the big cities barely differ; in winter they do. Dresden gets 16.5 % of its annual yield from the four dark months, rank 3 in the comparison and well ahead of Hamburg at 13.1 %. A 900 Wp device hanging upright facing south reaches 23.4 kWh in December and 22.6 kWh in January. On sunny days that covers roughly the fridge and router of a single person, no more.
For your decision, this means: work out the saving from the annual figure, not from a fine day in June. Upright panels have an edge in winter because the low sun hits them almost at a right angle; panels tilted flat gain more in summer and hardly anything in December. The guide to the yield of a balcony system shows the monthly pattern for any postcode.
Valley basin, slopes and grid point
The old town lies in the Elbe valley, and the city rises on both sides, to the Dresden Heath in the north and to the uplands towards the Ore Mountains in the south. The PVGIS grid point behind the yield for 01067 sits at 362 m, higher than the riverbank. PVGIS calculates the terrain horizon from an elevation model; it does not know individual rows of houses or trees. If you live down by the river between tall 19th-century facades, you are more likely to lose some sun than someone on the south-facing slope of the right bank, where vines have grown for centuries.
Enter shade from neighbouring buildings as shading in the calculator above. Even a fifth of shading noticeably lowers the annual yield, but the saving less so, because the household uses almost all of the remaining kilowatt hours itself.
South-east or south-west on an Elbe balcony
In the register, 35 % of Dresden's roof systems face south-east or south-west, more than in most other big cities; due south accounts for 36 %. On a balcony, the building sets the direction. With 900 Wp hanging upright the result is:
| Balcony | Yield per year | used at home | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| South-east | 645 kWh | 48 % | €112 |
| South | 687 kWh | 48 % | €121 |
| South-west | 629 kWh | 50 % | €114 |
A south-east balcony delivers in the morning, a south-west one in the afternoon. If you work from home you use both; if you only get home in the evening, the later power helps you a little more.
What all the full feed-in systems mean
18 % of Dresden's building systems feed all their power into the grid, rank 2 among the big cities. For balcony systems this does not matter: plug-in devices are designed for self-consumption, and their surplus flows to the grid unpaid. If you are considering a rooftop system instead, the trade-off is set out on full or partial feed-in.
A single person in the Äußere Neustadt
A period building, third floor, balcony on the courtyard side facing south-east, 1,500 kWh consumption a year. The €450 device produces 645 kWh, of which 308 kWh replace grid power. That gives €112 a year and 4.0 years to break even. If a second person moves in later and consumption rises to 2,500 kWh, a south balcony would bring €156. Before mounting comes the landlord's consent, afterwards the register entry under section 5 MaStRV; the limits for plug-in devices are in section 8 EEG. The page on registering a balcony system explains each step, and plug-in solar Leipzig shows the neighbouring city.