Solar for renters and apartments in Ireland: how plug-in solar finally opens the door

For two decades, going solar in Ireland has meant one thing: a roof. Your roof, owned by you, ideally south-facing, with planning permission, a registered electrician, and an NC6 form. That model works for the third of Irish households who own a suitable home — and excludes everyone else.

Plug-in solar is built for everyone else.

Why renters and apartments have been locked out

Conventional rooftop solar requires permanent modifications to the fabric of the building: roof penetrations, conduit runs, an inverter mounted to a wall, a meter swap. None of that is acceptable to most landlords — and none of it is reversible if you move. So even tenants on long leases, or apartment owners whose roof is shared with thirty other apartments, have had no practical route to solar.

The numbers tell the story:

• ~350,000 Irish apartment owners.
• ~320,000 Irish renters.
• ~200,000 social-housing residents.
• ~150,000 homeowners with shaded or unsuitable roofs.

Roughly one million households, locked out of solar by a regulation written for a different category of system.

How plug-in solar changes the equation

A plug-in kit is mechanically a different animal. Two glass-glass panels and a microinverter come in one box. You don’t mount them on the roof — you hang them on a balcony railing, lean them against a garden wall, screw them to a flat roof terrace, or stand them on a freestanding frame. The microinverter plugs into a standard household socket using a certified cable.

That has two consequences that matter to a tenant:

1. It’s fully reversible. Nothing is wired into the building. No holes, no conduit, no electrical work. When you move, you unbolt the railing clamps, coil the cable, and put it in the boot of a car.
2. It doesn’t need landlord involvement in the electrics. The kit connects via the same socket you use for a kettle. Landlord approval is typically about the mounting, not the wiring — and the mounting is a non-invasive clamp on the railing.

The landlord conversation, in three sentences

Most landlords have never been asked about plug-in solar. Here’s the one-paragraph framing that has been working in Germany for seven years:

“I’d like to install a plug-in solar kit on the balcony. It uses a standard socket and a non-invasive clamp — nothing is drilled or wired into the building. It comes off in two minutes when I move, and there’s no impact on the building’s electrics or insurance. CE/TÜV certified, and the inverter shuts off in 0.2 seconds if the grid goes down.”

We’ll include a one-page landlord summary in every PlugSolar box once we ship.

Best PlugSolar kit for renters and apartment dwellers

For most balconies — narrow, south-east to south-west facing, with a railing — the PlugSolar Lite or Lite + Battery is the sweet spot:

• PlugSolar Lite — €199. 900 Wp peak, 800 W inverter, ≈ 760 kWh/year gross yield, saves €150–€250/year. The lowest-friction option, in box for under €200.
• PlugSolar Lite + Battery — €749. Same panels, plus a 2.24 kWh LiFePO4 battery. Saves €250–€370/year because you can use the solar power after sunset — which matters disproportionately for evening-heavy renter household profiles.

If you’ve got a terrace, garden frame, or two south-facing windows, step up to PlugSolar Basic (1,000 Wp) or the Basic + Battery for maximum self-sufficiency.

Five practical points before you commit

1. Check your orientation. South-facing is best. East or west works at ~80% yield. North or heavily shaded mounts drop to ~58%.
2. Measure the railing. A typical panel is 1.7 m × 1.1 m and the universal clamp fits railings 25–60 mm wide.
3. Identify a socket. The kit ships with a 3 m cable. If your nearest outdoor-rated socket is further, request a longer cable when you order.
4. Notify your landlord.Most don’t mind. Some leases require it. Better to ask than to surprise.
5. Wait for legalisation. Ireland is expected to authorise plug-in solar in Q3–Q4 2026. Join the PlugSolar waitlistso you’re among the first batch to ship.