Sort:  

It seems that regulations in the UK make it more complicated if you want it hooked into the mains. You could have a separate system that charges a small battery to run some devices.

These balcony panels I was reading about seem to run separately, I think that is why they are easier to install. I thought about investigating it for when I have work done to the balcony in the summer.

That article started me on this topic. Those in Germany just plug into a socket I think, but you still need permission there. I also found this on why it's not so simple here.

Thank you, good to know.