Overview

• Nearly one million balkonkraftwerke are officially registered under the Bundesnetzagentur’s simplified scheme, with actual installed capacity—including unregistered units—estimated to exceed 2.5 GW.
• Solarpaket I reforms in May 2024 removed network-operator notification requirements, allowed existing Ferraris meters until replacement and raised the inverter limit from 600 to 800 W.
• An October 2024 law guarantees tenants and condominium owners the right to install balcony PV units, preventing landlords and homeowner associations from issuing blanket bans.
• Most balkonkraftwerke plug into household Schuko outlets, a method considered technically safe by VDE and regulators but lacking an official standard and criticized for exposing durability flaws.
• Entry-level kits cost €310–540, with modular battery add-ons extending payback to about four to five years, leading consumers to use HTW Berlin’s Stecker-Solar-Simulator for tailored performance and cost analyses.