One million balcony power plants in Germany

More than one million balcony power plants are now officially in operation in Germany, generating environmentally friendly energy. This means that Germany has already reached a second milestone this year, following the gross output of more than 100 gigawatts of photovoltaics at the end of January this year.

The symbolic figure of one million systems is more of an estimate than a confirmed value. Filtering for "plug-in solar systems" is simply no longer possible in the Market Master Data Register (MaStR). However, an approximation based on energy source, operating status and maximum gross output allows a fairly accurate estimate: With these key data, the MaStR recorded 1,031,298 systems on June 11, 2025. Together, they deliver a gross output of almost 1 gigawatt, or 956 megawatts to be precise.

Massive expansion

The MaStR figures are not absolutely up to date; for example, system operators have one month to report commissioning. In addition, there is certainly a significant number of unreported cases – presumably everyone knows someone with a balcony power plant who has not registered it. However, as the previous government has significantly simplified and streamlined the registration process, the registration rate has presumably been higher since last year.

As a result, the German Solar Industry Association (BSW) told dpa that the number of balcony power plants has now doubled: In June 2024, the number of registered plug-in solar systems passed the 500,000 mark.

The old government's simplifications, such as the requirement for landlords and homeowners to obtain permission, have also contributed to the boom. However, according to the BSW, the initial spark for the popularity of balcony power plants can be traced back to the high electricity prices following the start of Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine.

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Renewable energies: 100 gigawatts of photovoltaics installed in Germany

(dmk)