Balcony solar panels are now widespread in countries such as Germany – where more than 1m homes have them – but have until now been stymied in the US by state regulations. This is set to change, with lawmakers in New York and Pennsylvania filing bills to join Utah in adopting permission for the panels, with Vermont, Maryland and New Hampshire set to follow suit soon.
In the US there’s no way the average consumer will come out ahead. None. Anything they give you nowadays is either a loss leader wrapped in subscriptions or pay over time/interest scams or just neutered to the point of futility.
One which doesn’t require professional installation has real potential to cut the cost of solar by making it about who can sell a good-enough panel the most cheaply. That hasn’t happened so far in the US, and means that rooftop solar is something like 4x the price it is in other countries.