The war on Iran has triggered a growing interest in plug-in solar panels, which have long been all the rage in Germany.
The energy shock from the war on Iran has been partially cushioned by renewables, as Europe scrambles to reduce its fossil fuel reliance.
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A recent analysis from SolarPower Europe found that harnessing sunlight for energy has saved the continent more than €100 million per day since 1 March by lowering demand for importing gas. This means Europe saved €3 billion last month alone.
Experts say if gas prices remain high due to Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial fossil fuel chokepoint which carries around one-fifth of global oil supplies – solar capacity could save Europe a staggering €67.5 billion in 2026.
Amid sky-high prices, Europeans are rushing to invest in clean energy, such as heat pumps, electric vehicles (EVs) and solar systems. But for those unable to fork out thousands of euros for rooftop solar panels, attention has turned to plug-in alternatives.
What is plug-in solar?
Commonly found in areas like balconies, terraces and shed roofs, plug-in solar uses small panels that can be attached to an external wall. In many European countries, these can be purchased from the supermarket or online.
The power generated from plug-in solar can be used directly through a mains socket like any other device (such as a mobile phone charger) without any installation costs.
They’re often seen as a great alternative for people living in rented or shared accommodation, where building rooftop solar panels isn’t permitted.
Experts say it takes an average of two to six years to recoup the cost of the system, depending on what you paid for it, its size and where it is positioned. But once up and running, plug-in solar reduces the amount of electricity taken from the grid, cutting your energy bills.
Germany leads the race in plug-in solar
Germany has been riding the plug-in solar wave long before the US-Israel war on Iran began, with more than one million systems installed between 2022 and 2025.
Much of this can be attributed to government incentives that reward plug-in solar buyers with feed-in tariffs – for example, giving households a fixed price for every unit of electricity that is sent to the grid.
“Customers had already started this boom and successfully demanded simplified bureaucracy from politics,” a spokesperson for Meyer Burger, a German manufacturing company, said in 2024.
“Measures such as the elimination of VAT contributed to the popularity of balcony solar.”
The rapidly falling price of solar power and battery storage is also making start-up costs even cheaper. Balcony solar panels in Germany have halved in price over the last few years, with small models now costing around €200.
Bigger models that include storage cost under €1,000, but these can generate significantly more clean energy.
Since 2024, tenants and apartment owners have been allowed to install solar panels on their balconies themselves, removing additional installation costs.
Experts say plug-in solar devices could cover up to two per cent of electricity demand by 2045, when Germany aims to have achieved climate neutrality.
Europe tries to catch up on plug-in solar
The uptake of plug-in solar has been stalled due to a slew of factors, including safety concerns.
Many houses in Europe have ageing, modified or poorly maintained electrics – meaning they need to be checked out by a professional before occupants purchase plug-in solar.
SolarPower Europe says the “exact numbers are difficult to uncover” when it comes to plug-in solar, but states that growth is happening across Europe.
Plug-in solar is now legal in all 27 EU member states, except for Sweden and Hungary. Belgium legalised self-installed panels back in April 2025, while Spain has also been capitalising on its consistently sunny weather, which is ideal for solar generation.
Tornasol Energy, a plug-in solar company in Spain, says it equipped more than 1,300 homes with solar kits in 2025 – saving customers more than €620,000 on their energy bills and preventing more than 14 tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.
Since starting up five years ago, Tornasol Energy has fitted more than 5,000 homes with plug-in solar kits.
The UK is the latest European country to lift restrictions on plug-in solar, recently announcing it is “driving forward” with a rollout of low-cost panels that will soon be available from retailers like Lidl and Iceland.
“The Iran war has once again shown our drive for clean power is essential for our energy security so we can escape the grip of fossil fuel markets we don’t control,” says UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
“Whether through solar panels fitted as standard on new homes or making it possible for people to purchase plug-in solar in shops, we’re determined to roll out clean power so we can give our country energy sovereignty.”
Analysis from Carbon Brief found that plug-in solar panels could save a typical UK household £1,100 (around €1,261) during their 15-year lifetime.
