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“I think also, frankly, people just think this is cool.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A renewed push in Illinois could give renters and apartment dwellers who can’t put solar panels on a roof another way to cut their electricity costs.
A bill to legalize plug-in solar systems is likely to resurface this fall, potentially creating a cheaper path to home energy production for residents who have not benefited much from the state’s solar expansion.
According to Capitol News Illinois, Illinois lawmakers are expected to take up a proposal to allow people to use small solar units that plug into ordinary outlets. Often referred to as balcony solar, the systems could sit on balconies, patios, porches, or in yards and offset part of a home’s electricity use.
Illinois’ rooftop solar market has grown, but access has remained uneven. Capitol News Illinois reported that rooftop solar had reached more than 130,000 Illinois households by 2025, while renters and people without suitable roof access have largely been left out.
That gap is part of why advocates say the idea is gaining traction among lawmakers, said Kavi Chintam, Vote Solar‘s campaign manager in Illinois.
“I think lawmakers really see this as an opportunity to give folks a way to have more control over their power bills,” Chintam told Capitol News Illinois. “I think also, frankly, people just think this is cool.”
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Although the measure stalled in the Senate in April, Capitol News Illinois said lawmakers expect it could be revived during the fall veto session, either as a standalone bill or as part of a broader energy package.
Supporters see plug-in solar as a way to extend solar-related bill savings to more households. The smaller systems are designed to offer some of the same cost-cutting benefits as rooftop solar without requiring homeownership, major upfront spending, or a roof that can support a traditional installation.
For renters and for people who do not have usable roof space, that can be a clear way to cut electricity costs. 
As Chintam put it, “The group that is left out of that, of course, are renters and folks that don’t have access to their roofs.”
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If more households produce even a portion of their own power, demand for energy created by burning polluting energy source like coal, gas, and oil could fall. 
Meanwhile, according to Capitol News Illinois, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy released a report comparing the safety of plug-in solar with commonly used diesel-powered generators, suggesting the former is the better option.
Safety concerns became the initial bill’s main sticking point. Lawmakers, utilities, and labor unions raised questions about “backfeeding,” or electricity flowing back to the grid during an outage and potentially endangering lineworkers. Concerns about electrical safety inside the home were cited as well.
Before making another push, Illinois is reviewing how other states responded to those safety questions, as Sen. Rachel Ventura, who sponsored the Senate bill, told Capitol News Illinois. Utah was the first state to adopt plug-in solar rules, and eight other states have since followed, giving Illinois additional examples to study.
Ventura said the concept itself has broad support.
“Everyone loves the concept,” she told Capitol News Illinois. “That’s the good news about this, is that nobody is opposing the concept. It really comes down to making sure the safety is there for everyone.”
Advocates have said newer product standards could help answer those concerns. Capitol News Illinois reported that UL Solutions has set up a framework to test and certify plug-in solar systems, and those standards could give lawmakers more confidence in moving forward.
If the bill returns and passes, Illinois consumers who cannot access rooftop solar could have a smaller, more flexible way to tap into renewable energy savings.
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