-- Iran war has sparked a revival in demand for rooftop solar across Europe, according to a Reuters report, citing several industry leaders and executives.
As the conflict led to a sharp increase in global oil, gas and electricity prices, households and companies alike are grappling for cheaper alternatives, and rooftop solar installations have emerged a key choice.
"The war has merely exposed the problem that has existed all along: energy dependency," said Janik Nolden, the co-founder of Solarhandel24, a German solar equipment wholesaler, who believes that European governments had been "walking into a trap" all this while.
Solarhandel24 saw its sales triple from a year ago in March to nearly 70 million euros ($81.85 million), and expects this pace of sales to continue. It has since expanded its workforce by a third, or 85 people, to meet the soaring demand.
Another German renewable energy equipment company, Enpal, is seeing a similar trend, with orders surging 30% in March, to 130 million euros, and on track for a 33% growth in April, at 120 million euros, primarily driven by rooftop solar installations.
According to Enpal's CEO Mario Kohle, "this is about European resilience," while he adds that this trend is being seen even in the defense sector. "Just as Europe must be able to defend itself, we must be able to supply our own energy," he said.
This growing demand for rooftop solar is also sparking growth for energy storage technologies, with Holland Solar's Wijnand van Hooff seeing sales growth in the range of 40% to 50%.
Filip Thon, the CEO of E.ON, Europe's largest energy network operator, said that "this cannot be explained by purely seasonal factors," while noting that customer requests for the company's rooftop solar installations have compared to the same period last year.
Executives have also highlighted the role of Germany's renewable energy law in helping spur demand, noting that the pace of new solar installations had slowed in 2025.
The above-mentioned companies did not immediately respond to' request for a comment.
(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)