- Household demand for rooftop solar systems across Europe has more than doubled since the Iran war began. Wholesalers like Solarhandel24 report net sales tripling to nearly €70 million.
- Households are installing full systems – panels, batteries and EV wallboxes – to shield themselves from volatile oil and gas prices. Renewable retailers note that customers want energy security as much as lower bills.
- Executives at companies such as OVO Energy and Solarhandel24 see the surge as a “structural shift” in Europe’s power system, not merely a one‑off response to war. Industry associations in Germany and the Netherlands confirm a sharp pickup in residential installations.
In the aftermath of the Iran conflict’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Europe is experiencing a rooftop solar boom that experts say is reshaping the region’s power landscape.
A wide survey of equipment wholesalers and utilities in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands found that household demand for rooftop solar systems has surged dramatically since February.
Janik Nolden, co‑founder of German wholesaler Solarhandel24, says the crisis simply exposed Europe’s dependence on imported oil and gas and accelerated an ongoing shift. His firm’s net sales have more than tripled since the war began and are on track to triple again in April, rising from around €250 million last year to a projected €400 million in 2026. To keep up, Solarhandel24 has stockpiled half a million panels and plans to expand its workforce by a third.
The trend is echoed at Enpal, one of Europe’s largest residential solar installers. Orders climbed 30% in March to €130 million and are expected to rise another 33% in April. Customers increasingly opt for full systems combining panels, batteries and EV charging stations. Demand for batteries alone is up 40–50%, according to trade association Holland Solar.
Industry leaders say the surge is about resilience as much as economics. “This is about European resilience,” Enpal CEO Mario Kohle told Reuters, comparing self‑sufficiency in energy to self‑defence. Filip Thon of E.ON, Europe’s largest network operator, noted that customer enquiries have almost doubled. Even OVO Energy’s solar division, long a niche, reports sales roughly ten times higher than a year earlier.
Although installation data for 2026 are not yet published, the industry argues that the boom is a long‑term shift. It follows a temporary slowdown in 2025, when residential rooftop systems fell to just 14% of new installations.
Today’s surge is driven by high fossil‑fuel prices, impending German support schemes and the growing appeal of energy independence. However, Chinese manufacturers warn that the war‑driven boost will not absorb their massive overcapacity. Europe’s reliance on Chinese panels, which supply nearly 90% of the market, underscores supply‑chain vulnerabilities.
Resilience over cost
The rooftop solar boom hints at a rapid decentralisation of Europe’s energy system. The surge helps households cut bills but also reshapes grid management as millions of micro‑generators feed power back to the network.
It highlights new opportunities: demand for storage, smart inverters and EV charging could grow even faster than panels. The trend also underscores the need for UK policy alignment – the country’s new delinking of electricity from gas creates incentives for distributed generation but may need further support to match continental momentum.
Yet resilience comes with risks: Europe’s heavy reliance on Chinese imports exposes installers to supply shocks and trade disputes. Balancing energy security, domestic manufacturing and grid stability will be pivotal as rooftop solar moves from niche to mainstream.
