Plug-in solar in Frankfurt am Main: yield and saving in 2026
On a west-facing balcony, 900 Wp produce 495 kWh a year in Frankfurt, 18 % more than facing east, and save a working couple €117.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Saving per year
€154
670 kWh of solar power, 63 % of it used at home
| Generation per year | 670 kWh |
|---|---|
| of which used at home | 425 kWh · 63 % |
| into the grid, unpaid | 245 kWh |
| clipped by the inverter (800 VA) | 1 kWh |
| Saving on the electricity bill | €154 |
| Payback | 2.9 years |
| Saving over 20 years | €3,079 |
Step-by-step calculation
- Postcode 60311 (area of Frankfurt am Main): 1,080 kWh per kWp at 35° south according to PVGIS for the centre of the postcode.
- Tilt 90° and the chosen direction: 746 kWh per kWp. Times 0.90 kWp: 671 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.
- 425 kWh × 36.2 ct = €154 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
Frankfurt am Main is one of the sunnier big cities: PVGIS gives 1,081 kWh per kilowatt peak at 35 degrees south for postcode 60311 in the centre, rank 4 of 15. For uptake of plug-in solar (Balkonkraftwerk), though, it ranks 15: the Market Master Data Register lists 4,613 devices, 6.1 per 1,000 residents, against 18.3 nationally. A Frankfurt peculiarity appears between east and west. Hanging upright facing west, 900 Wp produce 495 kWh a year, facing east only 419 kWh, a gap of 18 % that is hardly as large in any other city. A couple who work during the day and use 2,200 kWh consume 65 % of west-balcony power themselves and save €117 a year at 36.2 cents per kWh. On roofs, 20 % of systems are east-west installations, more than in any other city compared.
Frankfurt: plenty of sun, few plugs
The city lies in the Main plain at the northern end of the Upper Rhine Rift, the PVGIS point for the centre at 109 metres. The Taunus hills shelter it to the north, and the climate is warm by German standards. For solar yield that is enough for rank 4 of 15 big cities. When it comes to actually installing solar, however, Frankfurt comes last.
| Indicator | Frankfurt | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Yield per kWp, 35° south | 1,081 kWh | 4 |
| Plug-in devices per 1,000 residents | 6.1 | 15 |
| Building systems per 1,000 residents | 9.8 | 15 |
| Share of east-west systems | 20.4 % | 1 |
| Batteries per building system | 0.77 | |
| Full-feed-in share of building systems | 14.1 % |
The national average is 18.3 plug-in devices per 1,000 residents. Frankfurt reaches only a fraction of that, with a yield above the big-city mean.
On the Main, west beats east
In most German cities, east and west balconies are close on annual yield. Not in Frankfurt: the regional PVGIS data give the west balcony a lead of 18 %. If you can choose a side, hang the panels facing west. Daily routine adds to this: a couple who leave for work in the morning barely use the forenoon power of an east balcony.
| Balcony | Yield | Used at home | Own share | Saving/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East, upright | 419 kWh | 278 kWh | 66 % | €100 |
| South, upright | 670 kWh | 400 kWh | 60 % | €145 |
| West, upright | 495 kWh | 324 kWh | 65 % | €117 |
| West, tilted 30° | 804 kWh | 463 kWh | 58 % | €168 |
East-west roofs, a Frankfurt trait
The Market Master Data Register shows the same theme from above. 20 % of Frankfurt's building-mounted systems are registered as east-west systems, against 8 % nationally. Such systems often sit on flat roofs of commercial and apartment buildings, with panels tilted alternately east and west. They give a broad daily curve instead of a midday peak. What that means for roof systems is explained in the guide to east-west systems.
Example: a commuting couple in Sachsenhausen
Two working people, a rented flat on the fourth floor, balcony facing west, 2,200 kWh of consumption. A taller building opposite casts shade in the late afternoon; a loss of 10 % is assumed. The €450 device then produces 446 kWh, the couple use 303 kWh themselves and save €110 a year. It has paid for itself after 4.1 years.
Before mounting, they ask their landlord. Since the reform of section 554 Civil Code, permission may only be refused if it is unreasonable for the landlord, who can have a say in how it is fixed. Under section 8(5a) EEG, a device with 900 Wp and 800 VA counts as a plug-in solar device, so no notice to the grid operator is needed. What remains is the register entry, due within one month.