Solar panels need a place to go. For most homeowners, the choice comes down to two options: a rooftop array, installed on top of the house; or a balcony / railing / ground-mount setup you can plug in yourself. The two are dramatically different in cost, complexity, power output, and what they're good for. This guide walks through the trade-offs.
Rooftop solar
Rooftop solar is the conventional answer. A typical US residential rooftop system is 5 to 10 kW of nameplate panel capacity, professionally installed, connected to the home's electrical panel, and net-metered against the grid.
Pros:
- High output: a 6 kW system in a sunny climate can produce 25+ kWh on a good day, enough to cover most or all of a typical household's daytime use
- 25-year warranties on panels are standard
- Net metering (where available) lets excess daytime production offset nighttime use
- Professional installation handles permitting, structural review, and electrical inspection
Cons:
- High upfront cost: typically $15,000 to $30,000 installed before incentives
- Requires permitting, structural engineering review, and often HOA approval
- Permanent modification to the roof; future reroofing requires removing the array
- Long payback period — usually 8 to 12 years in most US states, with significant regional variation
Balcony / plug-in solar
Balcony solar refers to smaller, self-installed systems — a panel mounted on a balcony railing, a yard frame, or a small roof bracket — connected to a microinverter that plugs into a standard household outlet. They were popularized in Europe and have grown rapidly in the US over the last few years.
Pros:
- Low upfront cost: typically $400 to $1,500 for a single-panel kit
- Self-installable without professional help in most jurisdictions
- Portable if you rent or might move
- Modular: start with one panel and add more
- Panel-level diagnostics and rapid shutdown
Cons:
- Lower output: a single 400 to 800 W balcony kit typically produces 1 to 4 kWh per day depending on conditions
- Output varies substantially with orientation, shading, and weather
- Some utilities and jurisdictions don't allow plug-in systems; check local code
- Doesn't qualify for the same federal tax incentives as full residential rooftop (which can offset 30 percent of system cost)
What each is good for
Use rooftop solar when:
- You own your home and plan to stay for at least 8+ years
- Your state has net metering (so excess production credits can offset night usage)
- Your roof is south- or west-facing with minimal shade
- You want to produce a large share of your own electricity year-round
Use balcony / plug-in solar when:
- You rent, or you own but don't want to commit to a major install
- You want to learn how solar works before committing more
- You want to charge a portable power station or small battery for backup
- Your goal is reducing your bill modestly rather than eliminating it
The two aren't mutually exclusive. Many homeowners start with a balcony kit for backup and learning, then add a rooftop system a year or two later. The balcony kit can stay as a backup or be moved to a shed or camper.
Estimating output realistically
The big number on a panel — say, 400 W — is nameplate capacity under standard test conditions. Real-world output is typically 75 to 85 percent of that on a sunny day at the right angle (this is the derate factor). Multiply by the number of peak sun hours for your location (4 to 6 hours per day in most of the US) to get daily Wh.
For example, a 600 W balcony kit in a region with 5 peak sun hours:
- 600 W × 5 hours × 0.85 derate = ~2,550 Wh per day, or about 2.5 kWh
- At an average US electricity rate of about $0.15/kWh, that's roughly $0.38/day in offset grid power
That's not a rooftop replacement, but it's a real, measurable contribution — and it's where calculators like the one on our home page help put realistic numbers on the question before you buy.