Balcony power plants are conquering Germany: over a million installed!

Balcony power plants are conquering Germany: over a million installed!

The enthusiasm for balcony power plants is growing rapidly, and this is clearly reflected in the numbers: In the first half of 2025, Germany recorded an increase of over 220,000 new balcony power plants, so that more than a million of these small solar systems have now been registered with the Federal Network Agency. This development was by Time discussed in detail.

Carsten Körnig from the Federal Association of the Solar Industry emphasizes that the demand for plug-in solar devices is not decreasing. This popularity is primarily fueled by government relief and falling prices. In addition, more trading companies are contributing to balcony power plants becoming more and more popular and thus increasing awareness of them among the general population.

What are balcony power plants?

Balcony power plants, also known as plug-in solar devices, consist of photovoltaic modules, an inverter, a connecting cable and a substructure. These systems generate direct current, which is converted into alternating current via the inverter and then fed either into the consumer circuit or into a separate circuit. According to information from the Federal Environment Agency Although they only contribute slightly to electricity generation, they promote acceptance and participation in the energy transition, especially for tenants.

The current legal framework already allows systems with an output of up to 2,000 watts (direct current) with simple registration and allows counters running backwards to be temporarily tolerated until they are replaced. Balcony power plants are also well positioned technically: the standards that regulate the connection are constantly updated, which further simplifies installation.

Market and economic efficiency on the rise

Thanks to the long payback periods, balcony power plants are increasingly seen as a lucrative business. The cost of generating electricity is generally lower than the cost of purchasing electricity. In addition, the sales tax on photovoltaic systems up to 30 kW has been reduced to 0% since 2023. These economic conditions have contributed significantly to the stimulation of the market.

A market analysis from 2023 showed that Germany installed around 270,000 new balcony power plants. Official data recorded around 1,038,000 newly installed solar systems at this time, with balcony modules making up a significant proportion. Another positive aspect is that the VDE regulations have been simplified, which increased the power limit to 800 watts, making installation easier. This also led to a surge in newly added solar capacity, which is around 85% compared to the previous year. Hermesdeals reports that Germany now has around 3.7 million solar systems, which collectively generate an impressive 62 billion kilowatt hours of electricity - equivalent to about 12% of the country's total electricity consumption.

The future looks promising: Germany has set itself the goal of covering at least 80% of its electricity needs from renewable energies by 2030. In this context, balcony power plants play an important role because they are not only environmentally friendly, but also actively involve citizens in the change in energy supply.