On July 4th, the lower house of the German parliament passed a legal amendment allowing apartment owners and tenants to install solar systems on their balconies, making it difficult for landlords and apartment owners' associations to prevent their installation without special reasons.

The balcony photovoltaic system is known as "balkonkraftwerk" in Germany. As the name suggests, it refers to the installation of photovoltaic systems on balconies, belonging to ultra small distributed photovoltaic systems, also known as plug-in photovoltaic systems. Users only need to fix the photovoltaic system on the balcony railing, plug the system cable into the home socket, and use solar energy to generate electricity supply.

Compared to traditional rooftop photovoltaics, on the one hand, balcony photovoltaics are easy to install and can be easily assembled even by outsiders, and can be disassembled again without too much effort; On the other hand, the cost of balcony photovoltaics is relatively low, with cheap complete packages starting at around 600 euros, while more expensive models may cost up to 1200 euros. In Europe, where electricity prices remain high (with an average electricity benchmark price of 230 euros/megawatt hour in 2022, 121% higher than in 2021), balcony photovoltaics appear more cost-effective.

Specifically, a typical plug-in solar module has a size of approximately 1x1.70 meters and an output power of around 300 watts. If optimized, it can provide approximately 200 to 300 kilowatt hours of electricity per year; Two modules can provide twice the power. Assuming an output power of 600 watts and an electricity price of 30 cents per kilowatt hour, up to 180 euros can be saved annually. This means that after purchasing, you can receive a return in just a few years. And these devices are durable and can usually be used for 20 years or longer.

At present, the balcony photovoltaic market in Germany is thriving. In 2023, approximately 275000 balcony power plants will be put into operation in Germany, an increase of more than three times compared to last year. In the first half of 2024, approximately 213000 systems were installed, almost the same number as the entire year of 2023. In the first half of 2024, there were approximately 565000 balcony power plants in operation in Germany.