UPDATE: Spanish start-up offers flexible kit for balcony solar power generation

From pv magazine Spain

Spanish start-up Tornasol Energy has launched a solar kit to enable flexible PV power generation on balconies, terraces, awnings, caravans and boats.

The kit consists of one or two modules, a microinverter, and a five-meter cable. Thanks to its plug-in technology, it can be connected to any electrical outlet and immediately begin generating electricity.

The company sells a 300 W kit including only one panel, at a price of €450; and a 600 W kit, including two modules, at a price of €790.

The offer also includes the mounting structures to hang the panels on a balcony railing.

“The idea came from our own experience. Seeing the trend in the cost of electricity, we wanted to rely on solar energy by installing panels on our balconies but the bulky conventional panels we found did not allow it,” said Santiago Vernetta, co-founder of the company. “It was then that we decided to investigate [creating] kits that would allow a more versatile use.”

According to the company, the solar panels are flexible and easy to handle, and they connect directly to any socket feeding the home network. Tornasol Energy is currently working on including batteries in the kits.

*The article was updated on December 7, to reflect that the kit does not include Sunpower-branded PV modules, as we previously reported. The previous version was based on information taken from Tornasol’s website, but Sunpower has stated that the modules that are shown in the wepage are not its own products.