03/05/2026

theSunday Special X ON SUNDAY MAY 3, 2026

Nolden said to secure supply, Solarhandel24 has stocked up around half a million solar panels in recent weeks, which is a costly decision but one seen as worthwhile given the potential for net sales to rise to around €400 million this year from about €250 million last year. – PEXELSPIC

Global energy crisis heats up rooftop solar panel demand Just as continent must be able to defend itself, we must be able to supply our own energy: Green energy firm CEO

F RANKFURT: Demand for rooftop solar systems across Europe has surged since the start of the Iran war as households rush to shield themselves from soaring power prices triggered by the worst global energy disruption in history. The conflict has pushed oil, gas and electricity prices sharply higher, hitting companies and households alike, and accelerating efforts to find cheaper alternatives and reduce exposure to volatile energy markets. Solar is among those options, with demand from homeowners more than doubling for some industry players since the war began in late February, according to interviews with more than half a dozen energy equipment wholesalers and renewable utilities in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands. It is a timely boost for a technology that accounts for about a third of Europe’s total power capacity, but which saw the pace of new installations dip last year for the first time in nearly a decade. Industry advocates argue that Europe still needs to do far more to cut its reliance on imported oil and gas. “The war has merely exposed the problem that has existed all along: energy dependency,” said German privately owned solar equipment wholesaler Solarhandel24 co-founder Janik Nolden, adding that European governments have been “walking into a trap”. Solarhandel24 said net sales more than tripled in March to nearly €70 million (RM325 million) from a year earlier and were expected to triple again in April to as much as €60 million. The company plans to expand its workforce by about 85 people, roughly a third, to cope with demand. Nolden said to secure supply, Solarhandel24 has stocked up around half a million solar panels, which is a costly decision but one seen as worthwhile given the potential for net sales to rise to around €400 million this year from about €250 million last year. Germany’s Enpal is seeing a similar trend. The energy firm said orders rose by 30% year-on-year in March to €130 million, while April was on track for a 33% increase to about €120 million, driven by rooftop solar installations. “This is about European resilience,” said Enpal CEO and founder Mario Kohle.

Some executives also point to upcoming changes to Germany’s renewable energy law as an additional driver of demand for rooftop installations, which typically cost between €10,000 and €20,000 for an average family home. The war-driven surge comes after the pace of new European solar installations slowed in 2025, according to industry lobby SolarPower Europe, with weak residential demand a key factor following the phase-out of support schemes. Shares in SMA Solar, the world’s third-largest solar inverter maker and one of the few remaining European equipment producers, have risen by about 50% since the war began. The company has also reported an uptick in demand. “We view the spike in demand as a structural shift that current geopolitical events are accelerating, not creating,” said Ed Janvrin, who heads the solar and heating business at Britain’s OVO Energy, adding that April sales in the division were roughly 10 times higher than a year earlier. However, Chinese solar manufacturers say any war-related boost in global demand is unlikely to significantly ease the sector’s overcapacity, with China alone having enough manufacturing capacity to meet this year’s expected global demand nearly twice over. Even so, the surge highlights how geopolitical shocks could rapidly reprice the value of renewables, said German renewables firm 1Komma5Grad co-founder Jannik Schall, adding that solar demand during the 2022 energy crisis had been even stronger. “The recurring energy crises prove the renewables sector right.” – Reuters

Executives say homeowners are increasingly opting for full systems combining solar panels, nearly 90% of which are supplied by China, with batteries and electric-vehicle wallboxes, allowing surplus power to be stored and used later. – PEXELSPIC

allowing surplus power to be stored and used later. That trend is also lifting demand for energy storage technologies, which Holland Solar’s Wijnand van Hooff said is seeing demand increases of between 40% and 50%. “This cannot be explained by purely seasonal factors,” said Filip Thon of Europe’s largest energy network operator E.ON, which also sells rooftop solar systems. He said customer requests have nearly doubled year-on-year.

“We are seeing this trend in the defence sector too. Just as Europe must be able to defend itself, we must be able to supply our own energy.” While aggregated installation data for Europe are not yet available, industry associations in Germany and the Netherlands have confirmed a pickup in demand since the war began. Executives say homeowners are increasingly opting for full systems combining solar panels, nearly 90% of which are supplied by China, with batteries and electric-vehicle wallboxes,