Balcony solar is now officially legal in the UK, with plug-in panels and batteries up for sale as of Thursday, including through one of Britain’s biggest retailers, Argo, where single panel units start at £599, including through buy-now-pay-later deals, or for just over £24 a month through a payment plan.
The UK joins Spain and Germany in embracing plug-in solar, Germany being the originator of the term balkonkraftwerk – balcony power plant – due to the huge number of apartment dwellers that have used the technology to generate power from sun-drenched terraces and slash their bills.
The UK has made plug-in solar happen relatively quickly, having announced in March that paving the way for the technology would be prioritised as part of a suite of measures designed to bolster national energy security in the midst of another fuel crisis.
This has not gone unnoticed in Australia, where groups like Solar Citizens are taking the opportunity to remind the federal and state governments and relevant regulatory authorities that they, too, could make balcony solar happen – within the space of a year.
Pressure is also mounting from across the proverbial ditch, where New Zealand is threatening to beat Australia to the punch after a major government review said legalising plug-in solar could be achieved within nine to 12 months given work has already started on determining the approach to developing or modifying standards.
