BONN/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - More and more German balconies are equipped with solar cells. The market master data register now lists more than 400,000 plug-in solar systems in operation. In the first quarter alone, 50,000 of the devices, also known as balcony power plants due to their frequent installation location, were put into operation. However, the actual figures are likely to be even higher, as there are unregistered systems on the one hand and systems that can be registered at a later date on the other.

North Rhine-Westphalia has the highest number of plants with well over 80,000, followed by Bavaria with more than 60,000 and Lower Saxony with more than 50,000. Just under 50,000 plants were reported for Baden-Württemberg at the beginning of April, but the reality is likely to be higher here too. The distribution roughly follows the size of the federal states and populations, with the city states and Saarland bringing up the rear.

Overall, growth has recently been rapid: nine months ago - in mid-2023 - the number of installations reported as being in operation nationwide in the market master data register was only around 230,000.

The German Solar Industry Association (BSW) believes it is likely "that demand for solar technology will continue to increase overall in 2024," says Managing Director Carsten Kornig. However, market growth, which was still in the triple-digit percentage range in the past, will level off. It is in the nature of things that this cannot be repeated indefinitely. In addition, the energy crisis in connection with the war of aggression against Ukraine was one of the reasons for the recent boom, which is now subsiding somewhat./ruc/DP/mis