SolarPower Europe’s maiden report on plug-in solar PV sees this segment growing in popularity, driven by households
Falling prices, ease of installation and use while democratizing access to low-cost solar power fuel its use in Europe, led by Germany
Standardization and certification are needed to increase the quality and safety of such products available in the market, according to the report writers
Europe is seeing the emergence of a new solar PV application segment, namely plug-in solar PV, driven by households wanting to generate their own electricity. In some markets, this can cover up to 25% of annual household electricity needs, according to a new report from SolarPower Europe (SPE).
Titled Plug-In Solar PV Solar for all—a deep-dive on a fast-emerging PV segment, it is the European solar PV lobby association’s 1st report for this growing segment to provide an in-depth analysis of the growth, opportunities, challenges, and regulatory landscape.
What is plug-in solar?
Balcony solar, micro-PV/micro-generators, or plug-and-play solar, are some of the other names for plug-in solar power plants. A plug-in solar PV system kit usually includes 1 or 2 solar PV modules, microinverter(s), mounting structure(s), and cabling to connect the microinverters with each other and the plug-in system to the socket.
Why the growing interest in plug-in solar systems?
The popularity of plug-in solar PV systems is growing in Europe as these can be easily installed on balconies, terraces, gardens, walls or rooftops.
The electricity generated can be used to directly power home appliances like refrigerators, Wi-Fi routers, and other standby appliances, especially during peak production hours. According to the SPE report, such systems can typically power a household’s continuous baseload during the day.
Excess generation can be fed back into the grid via the electricity meter, something that’s currently allowed only in Germany and Lithuania.
Prices for such systems have dropped ‘dramatically’ in recent months. From a range of €300 to €500 for a single module kit of around 400 W in the past, these now start as low as €200 in Germany and go up to €1,500 for larger or more sophisticated systems. Storage addition comes at a premium.
SPE’s Director of Market Intelligence Michael Schmela believes the increasing autonomy and self-consumption of energy are strong motivations for installing such systems, along with the fact that these can work as mobile PV plants. There is also a ‘feel-good’ factor for the consumers as they contribute to energy transition and do their bit.
“With recent significant module price decreases, plug-in PV has emerged as an affordable and easy-access technology which has the potential to democratise access to low-cost solar power across the EU, expanding the market from property owners to tenants,” opines Schmela.
Market growth
Germany, the birthplace of plug-in PV, had more than 780,000 such systems officially connected to the grid by the end of 2024. Since these systems are easy to install and connect, the real number of systems on the market could be up to 4 million as several may not be registered.
Less than 1/3rd of the plug-in systems sold on the German market were installed in balconies, with the remaining spread out on the rooftops, gardens, terraces, or façades, according to a 2022 HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences market study. Spotting balcony solar in German apartments is no longer a rarity. This is also thanks to Germany easing registration rules for such systems (see Germany Simplifies Rules For Balcony Solar Power Plants).
In addition, the report sees small-scale battery storage solutions of 1kWh to 5 kWh supporting plug-in solar growth in Europe. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of small batteries of less than 2 kWh capacity rose 24-fold in Germany alone.
Apart from Germany, the concept is already present in France, where 34 MW of cumulative PV capacity for systems under 1 kW had been installed by the end of 2024. In Austria, the annual market for micro-PV systems in 2023 and 2024 was within the 10 MW to 15 MW range.
Lithuania legalized the plug-in solar technology in early 2023, and close to 350 users have been registered by the local DSO since. It will be legalized in Belgium in 2025.
What next?
Safety considerations top the list of concerns for plug-in solar systems that can be easily installed. One of the biggest challenges is the availability of low-cost products in the market, while product standards and regulations are only slowly being developed.
Hence, the report writers believe there is an urgent need to develop strict standards for manufacturers to certify their products. The German technical regulator VDE is developing such standards, which the SPE report believes will be the most advanced requirements for plug-in PV installations. Landlords and insurance policies can factor in such standards even though these are not a legal requirement. The new VDE standards will come into force in 2025.
“Importantly, with the rise of plug-in solar, Europe needs clear product standards and consistent installation guidelines to ensure safety, grid compatibility, and consumer confidence,” explains SPE Project Manager for the report Leah Le Pénuizic.
The complete SPE report is available for free download on the SPE website.
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