Market analysis: Google Ads for solar systems and balcony power plants

At first glance, the solar market looks like a single large topic area. Our search term analysis, however, shows two very different submarkets: classic PV systems with high investment amounts, regional provider searches and highly competitive inquiries, and balcony power plants with enormous reach, lower costs per click and demand that is much more oriented toward product, price and comparison.

If you manage both areas in Google Ads according to the same logic, you give away potential. The large search volume around balcony power plants quickly ties up a large part of the budget, while the economically most valuable searches often come from the smaller segment of complete PV systems, especially for terms like "Angebot" (quote), "Anbieter" (provider), "Installation" or "in der Nähe" (nearby).

Balcony power plant buyers are looking for a DIY garden device for 400 to 800 euros; rooftop PV customers are looking for an investment project for 15,000 to 30,000 euros. If you sell PV systems including installation, immediately add terms such as "Balkonkraftwerk", "Stecker-Solar" (plug-in solar), "Mini-Solaranlage" (mini solar system) or "Mieter" (tenant) to your list of negative keywords. Otherwise you pay for thousands of clicks from DIY bargain hunters who will never request a quote for your trade.

Alex Sperber, Partner at UnitedAds

The basis is a Google Keyword Planner export with 5,923 German-language search terms for the period from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. We analyzed average monthly search volume, development over three months and year over year, competition intensity and bid ranges for top ad positions. A key result: demand for simple balcony power plants is declining compared with the previous year, while systems with storage are developing more stably or growing.

The market: 16.4 gigawatts added in 2025

According to the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency), 16.4 gigawatts of solar capacity were added in Germany in 2025, slightly less than in 2024. At the end of 2025, a total of 117 gigawatts was installed. To reach the expansion target of 215 gigawatts in 2030, an average of 19.6 gigawatts per year would be needed from now on.

Just under half of the additions were systems on buildings, the other half ground-mounted systems. In the previous year, the share of building systems was significantly higher. In addition, around 430,000 balcony power plants were registered in the Marktstammdatenregister (core energy market data register) in 2025.

Source: Bundesnetzagentur, Ausbau Erneuerbarer Energien 2025 (press release of January 8, 2026).

Balcony power plants bring the greatest reach, but less purchase intent

With an average of 301,000 searches per month, "balkonkraftwerk" (balcony power plant) is by far the largest single term in the analysis, about seven times "PV Anlage" (PV system) or "Solaranlage" (solar system). Behind it, however, is a broad spectrum of product research, technical questions, output limits, registration, tests, retailers and only partly specific purchase intent.

After a very strong growth phase, the market for simple balcony power plants is normalizing. The core term is down 33% from the previous year, "Balkonkraftwerk 800 Watt" 45% and "Balkonkraftwerk Test" 56%. The overall market is not shrinking as a result: demand is shifting to more powerful and higher-quality systems.

Storage solutions are growing against the market trend

The most striking growth area is the combination of solar system and storage, especially for balcony power plants:

With 135,000 searches per month, storage is no longer an accessory topic, but a mass market of its own. This is also evident for complete PV systems: "PV Anlage mit Speicher" (PV system with storage) reaches 18,100 searches and is growing by 23%, "Kosten Solaranlage mit Speicher" (cost of solar system with storage) reaches 3,600 and is up 52%. More purchase-ready terms such as "Angebot PV Anlage mit Speicher" (quote for PV system with storage) are growing particularly strongly from a smaller base.

Storage increases the potential order value and meets demand that is developing better than many general solar terms. We therefore treat it as a market segment of its own with its own product configurations, price questions and decision paths, not as a keyword extension of a general campaign.

Complete PV systems have less reach, but a higher value per click

Even the general terms for complete PV systems reach upper bids of around 7.50 euros.

The phrasings develop very differently: "Photovoltaik" (photovoltaics) and "Solaranlage" (solar system) are each growing by 49%, while "Photovoltaikanlagen" (photovoltaic systems) is down 45%. This may partly be due to search behavior, the grouping of similar keywords and rounding in the Keyword Planner. A market analysis based on a single keyword therefore falls short.

Across the most important term families, demand for complete PV systems remains high. People searching for them are making an investment decision whose value can be many times that of a balcony power plant. Providers bid correspondingly high.

The most expensive keywords have the smallest volume

The highest bids arise for searches in which a specific provider or investment decision is recognizable.

"PV Anlage Angebot" (PV system quote) reaches only 480 searches per month, but an upper bid range of 29.47 euros; for "Solaranlage Angebot" (solar system quote) it is up to 26.71 euros. These terms are so competitive because the searchers are actively looking for a provider or a quote.

A single click can therefore be expensive and still be more economical than many cheap clicks on information terms. In the PV market, search volume alone is not a suitable yardstick for budget allocation.

Local PV searches are growing and are particularly valuable

Planning, roof inspection, installation, grid connection and service usually require a provider from the region. This is exactly the demand that is developing positively:

Bid ranges of sometimes more than 16 euros confirm the economic value of these searches. Here, someone is looking for a company that will actually build the system.

As a regional solar installer, do not try to outbid large providers or lead aggregators on nationwide main terms. Instead, run your ads strictly locally with a clear regional reference ("PV Anlage [city]", "Solarteur [district]") or on specific combinations ("PV-Anlage mit Speicher und Wallbox" – PV system with storage and wallbox). You pay significantly less per click and reach exactly the homeowners in your real catchment area whom you can actually serve.

Alex Sperber, Partner at UnitedAds

For regional solar installers and installation businesses, this is one of the most attractive segments of the entire market: less volume than general terms, but much closer to the job.

Balcony power plants follow the logic of online retail

For balcony power plants, the upper bids for most purchase-ready terms are between about 2.15 and 4.84 euros. That is not cheap, but significantly less than lead generation for complete PV systems.

The search patterns revolve around output, storage size, mounting, inverters, test winners, retailers and brands. People are looking for transparent prices and directly comparable products. Profitability is therefore determined by the ratio of product margin, basket value and acquisition costs, similar to a competitive online shop market.

The enormous reach of the general keyword can become a problem. If you target too broadly, you also pay for people who only want to know how to register a balcony power plant, which output limits apply or how to mount components.

Information searches are not purchase demand

A considerable part of the search volume belongs to the solar market, but does not necessarily lead to the purchase of a complete system.

For providers of complete rooftop systems, searches for modules, inverters, motorhome systems, garden solutions or solar thermal are mostly not relevant. A component retailer, on the other hand, can use the same terms very profitably. "Balkonkraftwerk Anmeldung" (balcony power plant registration) has enormous reach with 27,100 searches, but an upper bid range of only 1.97 euros; the market values this search much lower than quote or provider searches.

People searching for "PV Rechner" (PV calculator), "Solar Förderung 2026" (solar funding 2026) or "Photovoltaik Steuer" (photovoltaics tax) are only gathering basic knowledge. If your goal is ready inquiries (leads) for sales conversations, focus your budget on transactional terms with high purchase intent such as "PV Komplettanlage inkl. Montage" (complete PV system including installation), "PV Fachbetrieb in der Nähe" (PV specialist nearby) or "Solarteur Angebot einholen" (get a quote from a solar installer). That way you do not burn money on users who just want to compare tables.

Alex Sperber, Partner at UnitedAds

For solar questions, Google most often cites ADAC

We searched Google for 15 typical questions, for example "lohnt sich ein balkonkraftwerk" (is a balcony power plant worth it), "balkonkraftwerk anmeldung" (balcony power plant registration) or "was kostet eine pv anlage mit speicher" (what does a PV system with storage cost) (queried on October 22, 2026). For 14 questions, an AI Overview appears above the search results; only "pv anlage angebot vergleichen" (compare PV system quotes) has none.

The AI Overviews cite 28 different websites in 38 mentions. ADAC has seven, enerix, Finanztip, solaranlage-ratgeber.de and KfW two each. Energy suppliers such as Vattenfall, E.ON, EWE, SWM and evm appear once each. Only 12 of the 38 mentions come from websites among the top five search results.

How we build content for AI Overviews is described on our page about GEO.

Bids form a clear value ladder

The closer searchers are to a specific provider decision, the more advertisers are willing to pay.

4,623 of the 5,923 keywords are classified as high competition, around 78% of all terms. They account for just under 95% of search volume. Practically all relevant segments are therefore competitive, but in different ways: for balcony power plants it is about product variety, prices and retailers; for complete PV systems it is about the few quote and provider searches.

The season starts in March, preparation in January

For the seasonal assessment, we indexed the monthly demand of the entire keyword set to an annual average of 100.

March reaches an index of 153, April 144, December only 60. Demand in March is therefore about two and a half times as high as in December. For balcony power plants, the fluctuation is even greater, with around 164 in March and about 53 in December. Storage terms also reach their peak values in March and April.

If you only set up campaigns, product ranges and offers in March, you start at the same time as almost all competitors. January and February are the decisive months for preparation.

Brand and retailer demand is large, but volatile

Retailer promotions, brand awareness, product tests and limited-time offers shape the balcony power plant market. Individual brand terms fluctuate correspondingly strongly:

The brand alone is not a reliable indicator of long-term demand. This market must be checked and adjusted more often than a regional service campaign.

For complete PV systems, brand terms also have high value. Searches for Enpal, E.ON or other large providers sometimes reach upper bid ranges of more than 10.75 euros. Many people here are looking for prices, experiences, trustworthiness and alternatives.

Specific system configurations show exactly what people are looking for

In addition to the large general terms, there is an extensive long tail of specific output and product configurations:

These terms are usually closer to a product decision than general searches for "Solar" or "Photovoltaik" and can be assigned precisely to a product range, system class or offer. 366 keywords each reach at least 1,000 searches per month, while the median of the entire set is only 50. A few large reach drivers are therefore offset by a multitude of small, very specific search patterns.

We manage PV systems and balcony power plants strictly separately

The two product worlds do not belong in a shared campaign structure.

Complete PV systems

Here, the focus is on regional inquiries and larger investment decisions. Particularly valuable are quotes and quote comparisons, provider and company searches, local searches, PV systems with storage, specific system sizes such as 10 kWp, financing and rental, and combinations of PV system and heat pump. The volume is sometimes modest, but the high bids show the value the market places on every qualified contact.

Balcony power plants

Here, product features, price comparisons and purchase decisions determine demand. Relevant submarkets are general balcony power plants, balcony power plants with storage, output classes such as 800, 1,000 or 2,000 watts, tests and test winners, complete sets and mounts, retailer and brand terms, and inverters, modules and other components. Information terms such as registration, approval or technical regulations bring additional reach, but no immediate purchase demand.

How we prioritize the segments

How we build a Google Ads campaign for PV systems

Using the figures from this analysis, we build PV campaigns in five steps.

1. Separate campaigns by search intent. We create at least three campaigns: local provider searches, quote and cost searches, and PV systems with storage or heat pump. Each ad group gets a narrowly defined theme. We mainly work with phrase match and exact match.
2. Narrowly limit the catchment area. The ads only run where you actually install systems. We leave nationwide main terms to the large providers and lead portals.
3. A dedicated landing page per campaign. Every click lands on a landing page with a single goal: the inquiry. This includes references, a short form and a visible phone number.
4. Measure inquiries and calls. We record forms and calls as conversions with server-side tracking. Only with this measurement does Google bid on inquiries.
5. Manage by cost per appointment. We match the inquiries with your CRM and report on-site appointments and jobs back to Google Ads. This way, bids are steered toward the search terms that turn into jobs.

The cost per inquiry is the cost per click divided by the conversion rate of the landing page. With costs per click of up to 29.47 euros for "pv anlage angebot" (PV system quote), the landing page therefore directly determines the cost per job.

These are the search terms we prioritize

These are the search terms we exclude

For providers of PV systems with installation, we exclude searches that do not lead to a job:

• Job searches: "Job", "Ausbildung" (apprenticeship), "Stellenangebot" (job offer)
• Self-build: "selber bauen" (build yourself), "DIY", "Bausatz" (kit)
• Balcony power plants, if you do not sell them: "Balkonkraftwerk", "Stecker-Solar", "Mini-Solaranlage", "Mieter"
• Used and repairs: "gebraucht" (used), "reparieren" (repair)
• Off-grid systems: "Wohnmobil" (motorhome), "Garten" (garden), "Gartenhaus" (garden shed)

We review the search terms report every week and keep adding to the exclusions.

The inquiry becomes an on-site appointment

Between the click and the job lies your callback. For this step, we recommend:

1. Call back quickly. Call back every inquiry on the same day, ideally within a few minutes.
2. Clarify on the phone. Ownership, roof type, approximate electricity consumption, desired timing and region.
3. Schedule the appointment after the call. Only schedule a fixed on-site appointment once ownership, roof and region fit your offer.
4. Report the result back. We report which inquiries turned into appointments and jobs back to Google Ads via your CRM.

The most common mistakes in Google Ads for PV systems

• Broad match keywords without exclusions. The ad appears for balcony power plant, job and self-build searches.
• The home page as the destination. Without a page with a single goal, every inquiry costs more.
• No conversion tracking. Google then optimizes only for clicks.
• Late callback. Every hour without contact reduces the number of appointments.
• Managing by cost per click. The yardstick is cost per appointment and per job.

Conclusion: separate the submarkets and bid where search intent and margin match

The market for PV systems and balcony power plants is still large, but developing unevenly. Demand for simple balcony power plants has dropped significantly compared with the boom, while higher-quality systems with storage and specific system configurations are growing. For providers of complete PV systems, the greatest potential lies in local searches, provider terms and specific quote requests; bid ranges of more than 21.50 euros show how fiercely these contacts are competed for.

In the balcony power plant market, product economics decide: high reach and lower costs per click with smaller baskets, strong price comparison and a changing retailer landscape, with the storage segment as the most attractive part. The greatest profit contribution goes to those who cleanly separate the submarkets and are visible where search intent, product value and business model match.