Popularity of balcony solar PV in Germany is growing, and registration will be simpler

In Germany, the use of small-scale solar PV systems that can be easily installed on building balconies has been growing in recent years. Last year alone, around 300,000 new balcony solar systems were registered, according to the country’s energy regulator. The regulator says it will now be easier to register these systems, while the German government is preparing a legislative change that would also remove the requirement to notify distribution system operators about them.

Alongside the construction of large, centralised solar and wind farms, many countries, including Germany, are also supporting the installation of small-scale generation systems directly at electricity and heat consumers’ premises. Small solar PV systems designed for installation on balconies can also provide owners with their own electricity supply.

According to data from Germany’s energy regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, around 1.6 million new electricity generation systems were built and registered last year. Around 300,000 of these were balcony solar systems. Going forward, commissioning and registering these systems should become even easier.

“People should be able to take part in the transformation of the energy sector as easily as possible. Balcony power plants can now be registered quickly and without bureaucracy. In future, operators will only have to enter five details about their balcony power plant, in addition to their personal information. Previously, they had to provide around 20 details. These simplifications significantly reduce the bureaucracy involved in registration,” says Klaus Müller, president of Germany’s energy regulator.

According to Clean Energy Wire, the number of registered balcony solar systems in Germany has already topped 400,000 this year, although some small-scale systems may not yet have been registered. In the middle of last year, the figure stood at “just” 230,000 installations. More than 50,000 new balcony solar systems were registered in the first quarter of this year alone, the outlet reports.

According to the regulator, the German parliament is currently considering a new legislative package that should further speed up solar PV installations. It is also expected to simplify the registration of systems in the central register, particularly for balcony systems. The package should also revise operators’ obligations, including removing the requirement to notify the distribution system operator about a system. The regulator will automatically inform the operator about new systems once they have been registered.