Solar balconies, which offer those living in apartments and small housing blocks the chance to generate their own electricity, are booming in Germany and could soon be coming to the UK.
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What is a solar balcony?
Just like if you have solar panels installed on your roof, a solar balcony uses the sun’s rays to generate electricity. Also known as a balcony solar power plant, they are essentially a mini solar panel system that uses just a few solar panels which are plugged into a socket.
More and more households are keen to take advantage of cheaper electricity, and solar balconies are a good option for people with a small outdoor space. They can also be used on car roofs, car parks, train tracks and roads.
Solar balconies are easy to install, with kits available online which can be installed without needing to call an electrician. They are certain to prove an essential part of Europe’s energy transition, using renewable fuels in a bid to combat climate change.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, more than 183,000 solar panel systems were installed in the UK in 2023. If you are considering installing solar panels, there are many companies you can get advice from.
How do solar balconies work?
Like traditional solar panels, they use what is called the Photovoltaic (PV) effect to convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. This is then put through an inverter to convert it into alternating current (AC) electricity, which can be used to power a property’s appliances.
While they only produce a fraction of the electricity that a traditional rooftop system does, solar balconies still offer a way for apartment owners to make their own electricity, lower their energy bills and join the green revolution.
As Germany was one of the first European countries to invest in solar panel systems, it is there that solar balconies have taken off. The government there offered feed-in tariffs to consumers, allowing them to make money from the power they generate by selling it to the grid.