Berlin Expands Funds For Balcony Power Plants

: Owner-occupied residential properties can apply for €500 towards the cost of plug-in balcony power plants

Berlin has announced that it is expanding its funding programme for the balcony power plants. For this small-scale use of solar energy, owners of owner-occupied residential property and tenants of allotments and recreational gardens will, in future, also be able to apply for €500 as a subsidy towards the costs of a plug-in solar device.

The announcement was made by the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises. The programme is implemented in collaboration with the Investitionsbank Berlin. Until now, only tenants were eligible to apply. “We are working for a climate-neutral Berlin and consistently pushing forward solar expansion,” said economics senator Franziska Giffey (SPD) in a statement. “Only with the involvement and support of Berliners, can the goal of achieving climate neutrality in the city before 2045 be achieved. 25% solar power made in Berlin is our target and in this way, every roof, balcony and gazebo counts.”

The German capital reports that 4,863 new solar systems were installed across the city in the first half of 2023, which is already more than in the entire previous year. Since February, around 3,000 grants for balcony power plants have already been approved. In 2022, 3,700 solar systems with a peak output of 32.9 megawatts were installed. The share of solar power in Berlin rose to 3.5%.

As part of the energy transition, the state of Berlin is promoting the expansion of renewable energies – especially in the energy crisis. For this reason, the Berlin senate’s supplementary budget provided €200m to increase promotion of solar systems and energy-related renovations.

The senate continues to work on simplifying and accelerating the expansion of renewable energies. For example, as previously stated, it was originally decided to simplify the installation of plug-in solar devices for renters in state-owned apartments as well as investigate the possibility of setting up photo-voltaic systems on and around monuments. Renewable energies are also promoted at federal level through various measures.