What is balcony solar?
A simple way to make your own electricity from your balcony — no rooftop, no major installation. Here's what it is, how it works and what you need to know before you decide.
Balcony solar is a small photovoltaic system that plugs straight into your home's wiring through an ordinary wall socket — no structural work and no rooftop. A typical setup is one or two panels, a micro-inverter and a cable with a plug. The power it makes is used inside your home first, so you draw less from the grid and your bill drops. In Greece, the framework is being designed around systems up to 800W in pure self-consumption — meaning no selling surplus back to the grid. Below, we walk through how it works, what it costs and where the rules stand today.
How it works
The idea is simple. The panel captures sunlight and turns it into direct current (DC). The micro-inverter immediately converts that to alternating current (AC) — the same electricity every appliance in your home already uses. Through the plug, that power synchronises with your home's supply.
From there it runs on its own. When your fridge, air conditioner or laptop switches on, it draws first from the electricity your panel is making. Only whatever's left over comes from the grid. So the more electricity you use during daylight hours, the more of your own production you actually put to work.
One important safety point: certified inverters include anti-islanding protection. If the power goes out in your neighbourhood, the system shuts down automatically, so it can't feed electricity back into the line and endanger the DEDDIE technicians repairing the grid. On top of that, installs typically add overcurrent fuses, a residual-current relay and proper grounding, with a check by a licensed electrician before it's switched on.
What's in a system
- Panels (1–2, or more in larger packages). Slim photovoltaic panels that mount on a railing, a wall or a terrace.
- Micro-inverter. The heart of the system — it converts the power and syncs it with your home. Outdoor units are weatherproof (typically IP67-rated).
- Cable and plug. Low-voltage wiring that ends in an ordinary socket.
- Mounts. For railing, wall or floor, depending on your space.
- Optional: a battery and a smart meter. Store power for the evening and see your production in real time.
A full system fits in roughly 3–6 m² of clear surface. Despite the name, it isn't limited to balconies — it can go on a terrace, an exterior wall or a small rooftop if you have the space and the right orientation.
At Sunrail, the parts come already matched into Basic, Smart and Max packages, so you don't have to choose hardware on your own. See what each package includes.
Balcony vs. rooftop solar
The main difference is scale and access. A rooftop system is bigger, produces more and usually needs a permit, an engineer and building-wide agreement for shared space. A balcony system is small, portable and designed to go in your own private space with a far simpler process.
For most people living in an Athens apartment, the roof simply isn't available or isn't theirs. That's where the balcony gives a realistic option. See the full balcony vs. rooftop comparison.
How much it costs
Basic plug-in kits start low and climb with the panels, the battery and the installation. As a reference, small 350–420W kits run around €550–600 self-installed, while a common two-panel 400W configuration runs around €1,100–1,200 installed.
At Sunrail, systems start at €699 (system only) and installation in Athens is €99. Annual savings depend on orientation, shading and how much power you use during the day — in good conditions they can reach up to 25% of your bill. Rather than deal in vague numbers, the payback calculator gives you figures from your own inputs. See the cost breakdown or estimate your payback.
Is it legal in Greece?
Short answer: the framework for small self-consumption systems exists, and the design for plug-in systems up to 800W replaces normal licensing with a simple notification to DEDDIE, with no building permit. But until the final text (a ministerial decision) is published, we treat the 800W process as pending and don't present it as settled.
That's why, before any order, we check which process applies to your case — and whether building agreement is needed (for example in listed buildings or where the exterior appearance changes). See where the rules stand today, in detail.
FAQ
No. Balcony solar is designed specifically for apartment balconies and terraces — no roof required.
For a plug-in system up to 800W, no building permit is expected; the framework's design replaces licensing with a simple notification to DEDDIE. The final text is still pending, so we confirm the process before you proceed.
In the general case, no. Exceptions apply to listed buildings, traditional settlements, or where the building's own regulation restricts visible changes to the exterior.
Yes. Because the system is portable, a renter can usually take it along when they move. The same caveat about visible panels and building rules applies.
No. The design is pure self-consumption — the system reduces your own usage; you're not paid for surplus (unlike net billing for larger systems).
Output from small systems (up to 6kW) is not taxed, provided there's no commercial exploitation of the energy.
Start from your balcony
From €699, or from €29/month with Klarna. Ask for an estimate, see if it fits your space, and move forward with a clear picture of the cost and the savings.