Solar on Ashley Grealish

Why Your Balcony Solar Savings Might Be Way Too Optimistic

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:01:01 +0100

Balcony solar is finally arriving in the UK. After years of strong adoption in Germany and across Europe, we’re starting to see these plug-and-play systems appear in British homes. It’s genuinely exciting news for anyone interested in renewable energy and lower bills.

But there’s a problem. In all the enthusiasm, the maths is starting to look rather optimistic.

The Claims Don’t Add Up

You’ve probably seen posts claiming that an 800W balcony solar kit will save you money, some might claim over £600 per year! It’s an attractive figure, but it’s based on a pretty dodgy assumption: that your panels will get 8 hours of peak sun, every single day, without fail.

Balkonkraftwerk: Clean Energy for All Homes

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Balkonkraftwerk, a German term meaning “balcony-based power generation,” has gained significant popularity in recent years. This system allows individuals to harness solar energy on their balconies and feed it back into the grid, reducing their reliance on traditional energy sources.

I recently visited Düsseldorf to understand this Balkonkraftwerk movement better. By studying its success, we can identify key factors that contributed to its growth and explore how these lessons can be applied to other countries, including the UK.

Using Technology to enable scalable off-grid Energy Access

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100

Presentation on using IoT technology to enable scalable off-grid energy access, with a case study of BBOXX SMART Solar.

Scalable off-grid energy services enabled by IoT: A case study of BBOXX SMART Solar

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100

This case study intends to show how Internet of Things (IoT) technology can be used to tackle development challenges by studying the example of BBOXX and its SMART Solar platform as applied to Solar Home Systems. It aims to highlight the benefits of such technology to its users and how it can be utilised to create scalable business models through user-centric design. However, it also shows the difficulties in designing, developing and deploying appropriate technologies in an affordable and impactful way. Similar applications in the water and agricultural sectors are looked at to further explore the potential and the challenges of IoT technologies in driving social and economic development. The case study raises ethical questions about the storage, collection and sharing of data and explores whether the data protection models prevalent in the developed world are applicable in a development context. It offers ideas for future research and points to the need of including financial, socioeconomic, and ethical considerations in the processes of innovative solutions development.

e.quinox Izuba Box

Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During my final two years at Imperial College I became involved with the e.quinox project. I spend a lot of time developing a new solution to the rural electrification problem in developing countries. Previously e.quinox have focused on a kiosk model which has one central kiosk with a form of power generation, typically solar. Villagers will come to the kiosk and rent a fully charged battery box which they will use to power their lighting and charge mobile phones. Once the battery box is empty they return to the kiosk to rent another fully charged box and their empty box is recharged ready for another customer.

Development of a 'pay as you go' solar home system

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Paper on the development of a ‘pay as you go’ solar home system, including technical and business model challenges.

Experiences from Solar Battery Charging Kiosks in Rwanda

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Paper on experiences from solar battery charging kiosks in Rwanda, including technical and social challenges.

Intelligent Solar Charge Controller for Domestic Off-grid Solar Systems

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Thesis on the design and implementation of an intelligent solar charge controller for domestic off-grid solar systems.