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“The cost of electricity has risen to absurd levels.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A bill moving through California could open the door to wider use of small plug-in solar panels, giving households a way to cut electricity costs without the expense or complexity of a full rooftop system.
If it becomes law, the measure could put a simpler form of home clean energy within reach of many more people, including renters and homeowners.
Lawmakers in California are considering Senate Bill 868, the Plug and Play Solar Act, which would treat small portable solar devices less like major energy infrastructure and more like ordinary household appliances.
After passing the state Senate on May 19 in a 35-1 vote, the measure moved to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the Moorpark Acorn reported.
The proposal has support from Ventura County state Sens. Monique Limón and Henry Stern. Its author, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, has presented it as a way to broaden access to lower-cost energy for people who cannot install traditional rooftop solar.
“The cost of electricity has risen to absurd levels,” Wiener said. “Plug-in solar is an easy way families can lower costs. These units are small and mobile enough that millions of Californians can use them to save on affordable clean energy where rooftop systems aren’t appropriate.”
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Projected savings could be around $450 per year, though the total would depend on the system setup and a household’s electricity use.
For many Californians, especially renters and apartment residents, rooftop solar simply is not an option.
That leaves many households facing rising utility bills with no practical way to generate their own electricity.
A key aim of the bill is to reduce the permit and utility interconnection hurdles that have made small plug-in systems difficult or risky to use.
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If more residents can produce some of their own electricity at home, even on a small scale, it could reduce reliance on power generated by polluting, non-renewable energy sources while making clean energy available to a wider group of people.
Safety is also a central part of the proposal, particularly in places such as Ventura County, where many communities are in High Fire Hazard Severity Zones and power shutoffs can be a recurring concern.
SB 868 includes several guardrails meant to address those concerns.
Any legal plug-in system would need certification from Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent testing lab to ensure the equipment meets fire and electrical safety standards before use, according to the Moorpark Acorn. 
The bill also requires automatic shutoff protections. These systems are designed to detect outages or grid problems and disconnect within milliseconds, helping prevent “back-feed,” a dangerous situation in which electricity continues flowing into utility lines while crews or firefighters may be working on them.
That could make the systems safer during public safety power shutoffs, which have become a familiar issue in some parts of California. Because the devices are portable and do not structurally alter a home, they are generally treated more like electronics than roof-mounted solar systems from an insurance standpoint.
For now, there is still a legal gray area. Plug-in solar units are already being sold, but using them without clear state authorization can lead to utility warnings or even disconnections.
If the Assembly approves the bill, it would next head to the governor’s desk.
“SB 868 is about expanding access to safe, clean and low-cost energy while helping Californians lower their utility bills, especially during the hottest summer months, when air conditioning demand is highest,” Wiener said.
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