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New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Plugged in balconies: how micro-PV devices bring green power into European flats
9/7/2025
10 min read
Feature
As the renewable energy transition progresses, new technology is quickly enabling an additional demographic of energy consumers to take part in the decarbonisation of electricity production, like those living in urban apartment spaces. European countries such as Germany, Austria and France are already seeing substantial growth in the installation of plug-in solar devices fitted to balconies, garages and sheds. Karolin Schaps assesses whether this is just a fad or symptomatic of a growing trend in Europe’s energy transition.
Up until now, solar photovoltaic (PV) green energy production has been in the hands of large solar developers and/or homeowners able to afford placing full-size solar panels on their houses.
With the commercialisation of plug-in solar technology, green power generation is becoming increasingly accessible to energy consumers living in apartments and other rental properties. Across Europe, the trend is becoming visible in countries where regulation of this nascent market segment is leading the way.
The largest market by far is Germany, where the trend of owning a ‘balcony power plant’ (Balkonkraftwerk) which plugs directly into the domestic mains electricity is driving demand among climate-conscious energy users. Last year saw a record-breaking 435,000 new device registrations in Germany, totalling 426 MW capacity, according to Germany’s solar industry association BSW Solar.