Shelly 1 Gen 3

Remotely control a wide range of home appliances and office equipment from anywhere. Retrofit your standard electrical wall boxes, power sockets, and light switches or other places with limited space.

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Shelly 2 Gen 3

Remotely control a wide range of home appliances and office equipment from anywhere. Retrofit your standard electrical wall boxes, power sockets, and light switches or other places with limited space.

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Shelly 3 Gen 3

Remotely control a wide range of home appliances and office equipment from anywhere. Retrofit your standard electrical wall boxes, power sockets, and light switches or other places with limited space.

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Shelly 4 Gen 3

Remotely control a wide range of home appliances and office equipment from anywhere. Retrofit your standard electrical wall boxes, power sockets, and light switches or other places with limited space.

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Shelly 5 Gen 3

Remotely control a wide range of home appliances and office equipment from anywhere. Retrofit your standard electrical wall boxes, power sockets, and light switches or other places with limited space.

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How Much Electricity Does a Balcony Power Plant Generate? 

A balcony power plant in Germany may have a module output of up to 2000 watts, though the inverter limits the output to 800 watts. That’s the theory – and what Germany’s Renewable Energy Act allows. In practice, owners want to know how much electricity is actually produced, how much flows into the household grid, and how much is fed into the public grid. After all, a PV investment pays off best when self-consumption is maximized.

Multiple balcony power plants mounted on a house façade feed solar energy into the household grid – measure self-consumption with a Shelly balcony power plant for better ROI

How Can You Measure the Power Output of a Balcony Power Plant? 

Thinking of checking your basement electricity meter? Unfortunately, that only shows total consumption and doesn’t help determine the power factor or your solar self-consumption. Smart devices make it much easier and more accurate. With various options to create your own Shelly balcony power plant, you can get the most out of your module output. Let’s take a look.

Shelly Plug S plug-in meter tracks balcony power plant output directly at the socket – including module output and kilowatt hours
Option #1:  Shelly Balcony Power Plant with Shelly Plug S Gen3 

Want a simple setup? The smart Shelly Plug S Gen3 plug-in meter is for you. Connect it between the balcony power plant’s connection cable and your household socket – and you’re good to go. For outdoor use, try the Outdoor Plug S Gen3. Via the Shelly app, you can view when and how many kilowatt hours are being produced and used. Daily, monthly, and yearly overviews help determine your power factor.

Shelly PM Mini Gen3 installed to measure kilowatt hours fed into the household grid – ideal for tight spaces
Option #2: Shelly Balcony Power Plant with Shelly PM Mini Gen3 

Looking for an integrated solution? The discreet Shelly PM Mini Gen3 shows exactly how many kilowatt hours your PV system feeds into the household grid. The ultra-compact Wi-Fi power meter fits behind a wall socket and is ideal for tight spaces. Installed (by a professional) in the inverter circuit, it sends all data to the Shelly Smart Control app for precise analysis.

Shelly-1PM-Gen3 smart switch, with power monitoring, for remote control of a wide range of home appliances and office equipment.
Option #3: Shelly 1PM Gen3

A third option is the Shelly 1PM Gen3 / Gen4, which can also be installed in or behind a socket. It tracks every kilowatt hour flowing through the inverter and delivers reliable data to the Shelly Smart Control app. This makes your PV energy use even more efficient.

Shelly EM Mini Gen4 is a small form factor energy meter, designed as a small form factor power meter, allowing you to monitor the power consumption of connected devices.
By the Way: More Than Wi-Fi – Shelly EM Mini Gen4 

Want more than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth? The new Shelly EM Mini Gen4 offers Zigbee and Matter compatibility, in addition to all the core features of the PM Mini Gen3. Perfect for advanced smart home setups.

Shelly Plug S plug-in meter tracks balcony power plant output directly at the socket – including module output and kilowatt hours
Option #1:  Shelly Balcony Power Plant with Shelly Plug S Gen3 

Want a simple setup? The smart Shelly Plug S Gen3 plug-in meter is for you. Connect it between the balcony power plant’s connection cable and your household socket – and you’re good to go. For outdoor use, try the Outdoor Plug S Gen3. Via the Shelly app, you can view when and how many kilowatt hours are being produced and used. Daily, monthly, and yearly overviews help determine your power factor.

Shelly PM Mini Gen3 installed to measure kilowatt hours fed into the household grid – ideal for tight spaces
Option #2: Shelly Balcony Power Plant with Shelly PM Mini Gen3 

Looking for an integrated solution? The discreet Shelly PM Mini Gen3 shows exactly how many kilowatt hours your PV system feeds into the household grid. The ultra-compact Wi-Fi power meter fits behind a wall socket and is ideal for tight spaces. Installed (by a professional) in the inverter circuit, it sends all data to the Shelly Smart Control app for precise analysis.

Shelly-1PM-Gen3 smart switch, with power monitoring, for remote control of a wide range of home appliances and office equipment.
Option #3: Shelly 1PM Gen3

A third option is the Shelly 1PM Gen3 / Gen4, which can also be installed in or behind a socket. It tracks every kilowatt hour flowing through the inverter and delivers reliable data to the Shelly Smart Control app. This makes your PV energy use even more efficient.

Shelly EM Mini Gen4 is a small form factor energy meter, designed as a small form factor power meter, allowing you to monitor the power consumption of connected devices.
By the Way: More Than Wi-Fi – Shelly EM Mini Gen4 

Want more than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth? The new Shelly EM Mini Gen4 offers Zigbee and Matter compatibility, in addition to all the core features of the PM Mini Gen3. Perfect for advanced smart home setups.

Integrating the Balcony Power Plant into the Shelly App 

No matter which Shelly device you choose, integrating it into the Shelly Smart Control app is easy. Power up the device, open the app, and tap “Add Device”. The app finds it automatically. Connect to your Wi-Fi, enter your password, name the device (such as “PV Output”), and you’re done. You’ll see current output, daily yield, and total production – and can automate energy usage smartly.

Integrating the Balcony Power Plant into the Shelly App

Why Measure the Output of a Balcony Power Plant? 

There are many reasons to measure your solar power output. It shows exactly how much energy you gain from your investment and when you reach break-even. It also lets you automate household appliances to run when PV energy is available, reducing your need for costly grid electricity.

Balcony-mounted PV system generates electricity for the household grid – increase self-consumption with Shelly instead of feeding into the public grid.

Measure Output, Maximize Self-Consumption 

The key reason: maximizing self-consumption. The more solar energy you use directly, the faster your system pays for itself. Every kilowatt hour you don’t buy saves you money. Also, upgrading your system to feed energy into the grid rarely pays off, since the feed-in compensation is often zero. Better to use the power yourself!

Balcony with solar panels, inverter, and battery – Shelly balcony power plant powers the household grid, maximizing self-consumption instead of feed-in

Is a Balcony Power Plant Worth It? 

This is the core question – and smart energy meters help answer it. Let’s do the maths.

Example Calculation: Payback of a Balcony Power Plant 

Our example system has two 380-watt PV panels, generating approximately 600 kilowatt hours per year (per Shelly app).

If 50% is used directly in the household grid, you save 39.8 cents per kilowatt hour (as of early 2025) – around €119.40/year.

With a purchase cost of €400, your payback period is under four years. After that, the PV energy is free – saving you around €120 every year.

Woman adjusts a solar panel on her balcony – Shelly balcony power plant helps precisely measure kilowatt hours for ROI calculation

FAQs: Shelly Balcony Power Plant – Measuring Electricity Made Simple

Which Shelly is suitable for a balcony power plant?

Shelly Plug S Gen3, Outdoor Plug S Gen3, PM Mini Gen3 or EM Mini Gen4 are ideal for measuring output.

Can a Shelly device measure feed-in?

Yes, the Shelly 3EM, for example, can measure three-phase feed-in, consumption, and production.

Can a balcony power plant run without feeding into the grid?

Technically, yes, but surplus energy will almost always feed into the grid – especially without a battery.

What is realistic self-consumption?

Depending on usage and system size, realistic self-consumption without storage is 30–60%.