With just two weeks to go in the 2026 legislative session the New York state Senate and Assembly have passed the “Solar Up Now NY (SUNNY) Act” (A.9111-C/S.8512C), a bill to enable the use of small, portable plug-in solar devices, commonly referred to as balcony solar panels.
With the passage of the bill, New York becomes the eighth state to advance plug-in solar legislation to the governor’s desk. Governors in five states — Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Utah and Virginia — have signed bills into law, while laws passed in Connecticut and New Hampshire still await executive action.
Similar to other bills that allow plug-in solar devices, the SUNNY Act defines a portable solar generation device as a photovoltaic system with up to 1,200 watts of AC power output that can connect to a standard 120V electrical outlet. The bill also requires such devices to be listed or certified by a testing laboratory (such as UL Solutions), and to be installed in accordance with state fire codes.
Utilities would be prohibited from requiring plug-in solar users to execute an interconnection agreement or enter into net metering, and they may also not charge any fees associated with using the devices. However, the bill contains a provision requiring device owners to notify their utility within 30 days of installing the equipment.
Absent from the New York bill are any protections for renters and homeowners from prohibitions against the use of balcony solar devices by landlords and homeowners’ associations (HOAs). Also absent is a limit to the number of such devices that may be installed at a single home.
The state does have a solar rights law that prohibits HOAs from prohibiting a resident’s use of a solar power system, but the law as written defines such a system as being installed on a rooftop and may not apply to plug-in solar devices, which are often attached to a balcony railing or other surface.
Following the bill’s passage, plug-in solar advocates expressed their excitement about the bill’s prospects for helping residents save money on utility costs.
“Under the SUNNY Act, even people living in apartments will be able to make the choice to replace some of their fossil fuel use with solar energy they capture themselves. It’s an example of how thousands of small choices by ordinary New York families can add up to a big impact, and take us closer to the zero-emission future we’re all working toward,” said Katherine Nadeau, deputy executive director of policy and programs at Environmental Advocates NY in a statement.
The bill’s lead Senate sponsor, Liz Kreuger, had this to say:
The SUNNY Act will open the door for millions more New Yorkers to have access to cheap, clean solar power, be part of the solution to the climate crisis, and shave a little bit off their electricity bill every month. Once the market for plug-in solar fully matures, like it already has in Germany, New Yorkers will be able to simply walk into a store, pay a few hundred bucks for a system, take it home and plug it in like any other appliance, and start saving hundreds of dollars every year.
The SUNNY Act now heads to the desk of Governor Kathy Hochul for signature. It would take effect immediately upon signature.
Bills in other states, such as S. 202 in Vermont and SB 868 in California, are still advancing on their states’ legislative calendars.
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