The appropriate system depends on the ownership status, available road surface, budget, local regulations, electricity consumption, and the level of commitment you can undertake.

Choose balcony solar energy, with the following conditions:

• You are renting a house and cannot carry out structural renovations on the building

• You live in an apartment with a balcony or south facing windows

• You need a low commitment solar energy solution that can be quickly installed within local regulations

• Your budget is closer to a small appliance than a complete home energy project

• You may move in the next 3 to 5 years and want to bring your system with you

• You should first test solar energy before deciding on a larger investment

The reasons for choosing rooftop solar energy are as follows:

• You own your own property and plan to live there for 10+years

• Your household consumes over 4000 kWh of electricity annually

• You have a roof that is suitable for facing south with minimal shading

• You need to maximize the potential value of the property

• You can receive government subsidies or favorable financing

• You hope to cover a larger share of household electricity demand

If the following situations occur, both can be considered:

• You own a house with rooftop solar energy, but want to add balcony coverage to the roof by installing something that cannot be covered

• You plan to install rooftop solar energy, but want to generate electricity during the permit processing period (which takes 3 to 8 weeks in Germany).

• Your rooftop system cannot cover all electricity usage, adding balconies can improve self-sufficiency