Plug-in solar in Leipzig: yield and saving in 2026
Two panels totalling 900 Wp, hanging upright on a south-west balcony, produce about 638 kWh a year in Leipzig and save a family using 3,000 kWh €159.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Saving per year
€157
694 kWh of solar power, 62 % of it used at home
| Generation per year | 694 kWh |
|---|---|
| of which used at home | 434 kWh · 62 % |
| into the grid, unpaid | 260 kWh |
| clipped by the inverter (800 VA) | 2 kWh |
| Saving on the electricity bill | €157 |
| Payback | 2.9 years |
| Saving over 20 years | €3,139 |
Step-by-step calculation
- Postcode 04109 (area of Leipzig): 1,078 kWh per kWp at 35° south according to PVGIS for the centre of the postcode.
- Tilt 90° and the chosen direction: 773 kWh per kWp. Times 0.90 kWp: 696 kWh before the inverter.
- Quarter-hour by quarter-hour against 74 metered households using 2,500 kWh a year: the household uses 62 % of the output itself.
- 434 kWh × 36.2 ct = €157 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
Leipzig sits in the flat Leipzig Lowland Bay, and its solar data reflect it: PVGIS gives 1,078 kWh per kilowatt peak at 35 degrees south for postcode 04109, rank 5 among 15 big cities and just ahead of Dresden at 1,071 kWh. The best month is May, when no other city compared produces more solar power per kWp. A plug-in system (Balkonkraftwerk) of 900 Wp hanging upright facing south-west produces about 638 kWh, facing south 694 kWh, facing west 481 kWh. A family of three using 3,000 kWh a year consumes 69 % of the south-west output itself and saves €159 a year at 36.2 cents per kWh; a device costing €450 pays for itself in 2.8 years. The Market Master Data Register lists 6,360 plug-in devices, 10.4 per 1,000 residents against 18.3 nationally. The roofs stand out: 47 % of building systems face mainly south, the highest share in the comparison.
Leipzig profile: sun, roofs, register
| Feature | Leipzig | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Annual yield per kWp, 35° south | 1,078 kWh | rank 5 of 15 |
| Best month (May) | 136.1 kWh per kWp | rank 1 of 15 |
| Building systems facing mainly south | 47 % | Germany 45 % |
| Plug-in devices in operation | 6,360 | 10.4 per 1,000 residents |
| Balcony devices per building system | 0.73 | Germany 0.32 |
| Full feed-in share of building systems | 10 % | Germany 22 % |
Flat land, open horizon
Between the Weiße Elster and Pleiße rivers there is hardly any high ground to hide the morning or evening sun. The city's PVGIS grid point sits at 128 m, and the terrain model PVGIS uses to calculate the horizon finds little in the lowland that blocks light. In Leipzig, shade comes from the building opposite, street trees and concrete balcony parapets, not from the landscape. Before ordering panels, check your balcony on a clear morning and a late afternoon: if it lies in a neighbour's shadow, enter some shading in the calculator above.
The year peaks early. In May, each kilowatt peak in Leipzig delivers 136.1 kWh, in July 133.0 kWh. For a balcony system this means the best weeks come before the summer holidays, while most households are still at home and actually use the midday power.
Why nearly every other roof system faces south
Of the 8,766 solar systems on Leipzig buildings, 47 % face south, more than in any other city compared; east-west systems account for only 10 %. The figure comes from operators' entries in the register and says nothing about balconies, but a lot about building styles: many roofs in the detached and semi-detached areas on the city's edge have a clear south side. If you live there, a rooftop system usually beats a plug-in device; if you rent a flat, you do not have that choice.
On a balcony, the angle to the sun counts. Upright facing south gives 694 kWh; tilted at 35 degrees it would be 968 kWh. Almost all of the difference falls in summer, when the family already produces more at midday than it needs. Which tilt is allowed and sensible on your railing is covered in the guide to orientation.
More balcony devices relative to roofs
Nationally there are 0.32 plug-in devices for every building system; in Leipzig there are 0.73. That fits a city where most people live in apartment blocks: 19th-century quarters, prefab estates and new builds offer more balconies than roofs you are allowed to build on. Per head, Leipzig ranks 7 among the big cities at 10.4 devices per 1,000 residents, while the national average, lifted by rural areas, is 18.3.
Since October 2024, tenants have a right to their landlord's consent (section 554 Civil Code) and flat owners to that of the owners' association (section 20 WEG). Both may have a say in how it is done, meaning fixings and cable routing. You register the device in the Market Master Data Register yourself; the register guide shows how.
A family in Grünau does the maths
Three people, 3,000 kWh a year, a fifth-floor flat in a prefab block (Plattenbau) with a south-west balcony and a clear view. The 900 Wp device costs €450. It produces 638 kWh, of which the household uses 439 kWh itself; the rest goes to the grid unpaid. At 36.2 cents per kWh the electricity bill falls by €159, and the device is paid off after 2.8 years. If the same balcony faced due west, it would be 481 kWh and a saving of €130. Whether a device pays without an ideal balcony is answered on is balcony solar worth it; the comparison with the neighbouring city is on plug-in solar Dresden.