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Clear to partly cloudy. Low 9F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 9F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: February 2, 2026 @ 9:22 pm
Utilities have expressed concern about plug-in solar’s impact on the ability to balance the grid if the systems feed excess electricity to the network without their knowledge. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Utilities have expressed concern about plug-in solar’s impact on the ability to balance the grid if the systems feed excess electricity to the network without their knowledge. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
As electricity prices soar and rooftop solar subsidies vanish, some US renters and homeowners are surreptitiously installing solar panels on balconies and backyards without their utility’s permission. Legislation recently introduced in nearly two dozen states would legalize “plug-in solar” systems, jumpstarting a nascent market for an affordable source of renewable energy.
Also called balcony solar, such systems usually comprise two to four solar panels that are plugged into wall outlets. They typically cost about $2,000 or more and generate enough electricity to power a refrigerator, electronics and lights, potentially shaving several hundred dollars a year from utility bills. Some plug-in solar systems come with batteries to store power for use during peak demand when electricity rates spike and when storms or heat waves knock out the grid.
Millions of balcony solar systems have been deployed in countries like Germany, which regulates the technology. But only about 5,000 have been installed in the US, according to advocates, most without utility authorization. That’s because plug-in solar has remained in the shadows due to a lack of safety standards and often costly requirements imposed by utilities, but that’s changing. Utah in 2025 enacted a law allowing plug-in solar without utility approval and other states are considering similar legislation, including New York and California, the nation’s largest solar market.
“The impact of California passing legislation would be huge and will get manufacturers to come into the market,” said Kevin Chou, cofounder and executive director of Bright Saver, a Bay Area nonprofit that sells do-it-yourself plug-in solar systems and has pushed to legalize the technology.
Under the legislation introduced in January in California, residents could install plug-in solar systems without utility authorization. But those systems couldn’t generate more than 1.2 kilowatts of electricity and must be certified by a nationally recognized testing lab. Legislation in other states contains similar requirements.
Utilities have expressed concern about plug-in solar’s impact on the ability to balance the grid if the systems feed excess electricity to the network without their knowledge. Landlords may worry about solar panels falling off balconies or how they change the look of a building, he said. Homeowners associations, which regulate everything from house colors to landscaping, may object to the aesthetics of backyard solar
Josh Craft is a Utah clean energy advocate but he doesn’t have rooftop solar on his own home in Salt Lake City due to the expense and lack of incentives. But in December he installed two foldable solar panels, a battery and a microinverter to convert the direct current produced by the system into alternating current used by his home. The panels sit in Craft’s backyard and are plugged into an outlet with a dedicated circuit on his patio.
“It’s a great way for me to help try to shave a little off my bill every month and it’s also something that helps to reduce long-term impacts in terms of emissions,” said Josh Craft, director of government relations and public affairs for the nonprofit Utah Clean Energy.
WPBloom
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