Balcony solar plants are the new energy trend in Germany

And you might be surprised in which regions of the country they are the most popular

Germany’s federal government is planning to simplify the process of installation of small solar systems on balconies, but it seems that people are already ahead of the curve and these self-production energy units have become the new rage in the country.

According to the Federal Network Agency’s data, balcony solar plants have doubled in numbers since the beginning of this year, which clearly shows that they’ve become the hottest new item to have in the European country.

Тhere are currently around 230,000 "ready-to-plug-in generation plants" in Germany, as they are also known locally. Almost 137,000 of them, that is more than half, were put into operation in the current year. Experts assume, however, that even more people rely on homemade electricity from the balcony.

Apparently, there might be many other units that haven’t been officially registered, hence the impetus of the authorities to provide an easier administrative process and to bring home-produced energy out of the shadows and into the sun.

How do balcony solar plants work?

The rise in energy prices made the installation of solar panels on the balcony an increasingly popular alternative for many in Germany. These can be bought in ready-made sets so they don’t require deep expertise to install and operate.

They usually consist of one or two solar modules, an inverter and a connection socket for the home network. The solar modules generate direct current, which is then converted by the inverter into alternating current, which in turn is fed directly into the home network. Household appliances can then be operated with the produced electricity.

The main consideration, of course, is the availability of sunshine throughout the year. And this is where it gets interesting. Apparently, the regions where the balcony solar units are most popular is in the north of the country, especially in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, respectively with 5 and 4.2 solar plants per 1000 inhabitants.

This might be explained by the fact that these states are also the ones forming most of Germany’s (only) sea coastline.

The way the government aims to simplify the installation procedure is to grant apartment owners, and even tenants, the right to install the devices without prior consultation with a landlords’ council in the building.