The fastest growing solar panel in the world does not live on a roof. It hangs off the balcony rail, plugs into an ordinary power point, and quietly feeds the home daytime power. The kits come off the shelf, go up in an afternoon without an electrician, and at current German electricity prices pay for themselves in under three years. Renters love them for the simplest reason of all: when you move, your power station moves with you. Germany now counts around three million of them, and thanks to balconies, roughly one in ten German households now makes its own solar power. This month lawmakers went further, passing protections so landlords cannot arbitrarily say no.
The idea is starting to travel. Several American states have begun writing plug in kits into law, with Utah leading the way, and nearly half of new German buyers now add a small battery, so the afternoon sun can run the evening lights. For Australian readers, one honest note: our electrical rules do not yet approve plug in kits, so there is nothing to buy here for now. But three million happy balconies make a very persuasive argument, and standards bodies are paying attention. Most of the world lives in cities, and most city dwellers will never own a roof. The humble balcony rail is quietly becoming the people's power station.
Our short take: the full story is by Brooklyn Smith for The Cool Down, with background by Professor Moncef Krarti for The Conversation. Photograph: a balcony solar building by Shisma, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.