Balcony solar is powering apartments from Berlin to Barcelona. So why not in Australia?

From Berlin to Barcelona, it’s becoming a familiar sight: rows of apartment balconies dotted with small solar panels, quietly generating electricity for the homes behind them. 

In dense European cities where apartment dwelling is common and rooftop access limited – particularly in rental buildings – these compact, plug-in systems are helping residents power lights, fridges and everyday appliances.

Known as balcony solar, the technology is gaining momentum overseas. Across Europe it is spreading rapidly, and in the United States, California lawmakers have recently cleared the way for it to scale by reclassifying plug-in solar as a household appliance.

In Australia, however, balcony solar remains largely out of reach, despite the country’s reputation as a global solar leader. Australia has the highest uptake of rooftop solar in the world, with more than a third of standalone homes now generating their own electricity, many of them adding batteries. 

But that success does not extend to apartments. Just 3.5 per cent of Australian apartments have solar, leaving millions of renters and apartment owners locked out of the cheapest source of energy available.

Why it works overseas

Brent Clark, CEO of apartment-focused energy consultancy Wattblock, says the success of balcony solar overseas has less to do with the technology itself and more to do with how it is regulated.

Speaking on the SwitchedOn Australia podcast, Clark said the approach “really took off in Germany”.

The systems there are deliberately modest — “very, very small solar systems, just a couple of panels, that are hooked over a balcony of an apartment building” – typically capped at around 0.8 to 1.2 kilowatts, allowing them to sidestep complex grid-connection processes.

But the real breakthrough, Clark says, was how the systems were allowed to connect. Rather than being hard-wired into a building’s electrical system, balcony solar in Germany is designed to be plug-and-play.

“You can just plug it into one of your existing power outlets in your home to power your electrical appliances,” Clark says.

That shift transformed solar from a construction project into a consumer product. Germany accepted the trade-off between smaller system sizes and simplified regulation, and adoption followed quickly.

“It took off at such a rate that they’ve got over a million of these solar panel systems hanging off the balconies in Germany,” Clark says.

Balcony solar has existed there for about a decade, but installations surged after regulatory standards were clarified around 2018–2019. From Germany, the model spread across much of Europe.

“One of the big benefits,” Clark says, “when you move from one rental property to another, whether a house or a unit to another unit, you just unplug your balcony solar and take it with you.”

Why Australia can’t simply follow suit

Renters make up around 31 per cent of Australian households, but the regulatory environment here makes that kind of simplicity far harder to replicate.

Germany permitted balcony solar to operate alongside old-style analogue electricity meters. Australia does not.

“You can’t run solar in Australia without having a smart meter.”

Electrical safety standards present another major hurdle. Many Australian apartments still rely on older circuit breakers designed for one-way electricity flow, from the grid to the appliance.

“The ones that we’ve got predominantly in Australia only trip if electricity is running in the direction [from the grid],” Clark says.

“If there’s a fault with your balcony solar system, and it’s sending current down the wire in the opposite direction, through this circuit breaker, it’s not going to trip the breaker.”

For balcony solar to operate safely in Australia, Clark says buildings would need Type A residual current devices, which trip regardless of the direction electricity is flowing.

Once Australian standards, Clean Energy Council requirements, state-based installation rules, the National Construction Code, balcony load limits, wind-loading assessments and strata regulations are added, the plug-and-play appeal quickly erodes.

“You could legally do a balcony solar system today,” Clark says, “but you’re not capturing this innovation of the plugin.”

A regulated middle ground

Clark is not arguing for deregulation. In fact, he warns against letting unregulated products enter the market.

“You’ve got to buy an approved product with a check mark on it that’s been through electrical safety standards in Australia.”

Instead, he argues for a tailored pathway: certified products, modern meters and circuit breakers, and a lightweight registration process rather than a full grid-connection application.

He suggests balcony solar owners should be able to register their system with the grid provider via a simple government app.

“Then at least the grid provider knows that it’s there.”

Clark also points to existing safety regimes as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Most apartment buildings already undergo annual fire inspections, meaning a basic balcony solar check could be incorporated with minimal additional burden.

What’s at stake

For a country that prides itself on solar leadership, balcony solar is becoming a test of whether energy policy can adapt to modern housing — or whether access to clean, cheap power will remain tied to home ownership.

The scale of the missed opportunity is substantial. Researchers from UNSW and the Australian Photovoltaic Institute estimate there is around 45.8 gigawatts of unrealised rooftop solar potential across Australian housing.

Apartment buildings alone are missing out on about three gigawatts — electricity that could lower bills, cut emissions and ease pressure on the grid.

Clark believes international momentum could be decisive.

“If it becomes a success in California, then it helps build the momentum here in Australia.”

You can hear the full interview with Brent Clark on the SwitchedOn Australia podcast.