Across Germany, more than 1 million people had installed solar panels on their balconies as of last month. But those are just the officially registered systems. The actual figures could be three times as high, according to government estimates.

Though each installation is small, the aggregate electricity generated from these plug-in solar panels is helping Germany reach its renewable energy targets.

Is the U.S. next?

It’s complicated. Plug-in solar, also known as balcony solar, refers to small-scale solar systems that can be installed without an electrician or permission from a local utility. It is certainly closer to taking off in the U.S. than it was six months ago. The technology’s backers hope more hurdles will be cleared before the year is out.

This is happening largely thanks to

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