https://cleantechnica.com/2024/12/21/germany-embraces-balkon...
Though last I looked this probably isn't feasible in the US due to differences in our electrical systems or something like that?
In my state a law to allow such is working through the legislature right now.
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8512/amendm...
Also this hn comment seems to confirm it's not a tech problem just a policy one!
More US States Are Promoting Balcony Solar - https://cleantechnica.com/2025/12/01/more-us-states-are-prom... - December 1st, 2025 ("Earlier this year, Utah became the first state in the US to pass legislation allowing people to purchase balcony solar equipment. In other states, there are laws on the books that make balcony solar illegal, but according to The Guardian that is about to change. Bills have been introduced in the legislatures in New York and Pennsylvania that would allow people to add balcony solar to their homes. Vermont, Maryland, and New Hampshire are expected to follow soon as well.")
Pennsylvania [HB 1971]: https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1971 | https://www.pahouse.com/Pielli/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=140...
By the way, energy generation is only 1/4 to 1/3 of all emissions on average, so transitioning the fraction of that fraction to a lesser amount of emissions (since there a ton of emissions in manufacturing, transporting and installing solar panels) is nice and cool, but not very efficient to combat climate change.
Yes, there always is. 40 years later…
Global commercial aviation is about 3% of all emissions”. Reducing that 25-30% to 15-20% is significant.
several apartment buildings can also be linked together to handle maintenance and share peak power capability as well.
For example, NREL estimates that centralized installations cost half as much as commercial rooftop, and a third of residential (https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-in...) on a per-watt basis.
Now normally, in a commercial or residential installation, as an owner you don't need to pay for cost of property. But as a utility (or government, or whatever), if you need to offer loans to get these installed, then those loans act a lot like property acquisition costs.
There are definitely factors that can tip things in favour of such an approach (for example, if your land acquisition fees are particularly high for whatever reason, or you really really want a distributed grid), but I suspect that it's this fundamental aspect that keeps utilities from trying to push residential solar.
But you're right, utility companies already own the land and have a monopoly - introducing something that would make it pretty easy to undercut and decentralize the power grid isn't that appealing.
Except some were a scam, and now the well is poisoned.
https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/solar-lease-everything-you...
It really makes no sense to not use solar except in very few exceptions where it's genuinely never sunny and doesn't have that many sunny days, but hey estonia is making it work.
obviously there is some added maintenance like cleaning the panels, but that also applies for general services that residents of buildings already share.