A new California law is set to make portable solar panels, known as balcony or "plug-and-play" solar, easier to use in the state, providing renters and homeowners with a convenient way to lower utility bills.
Bernadette Del Chiarro, Senior Vice President of the Environmental Working Group, explained the technology behind these compact panels. She's among the solar experts who helped pass the new law. She brought a demonstration panel to the set of California Tonight, which measured about 2 feet by 3 feet.
"This is a solar photovoltaic panel just like you see on roofs," Del Chiarro said. "It's the exact same technology. The only difference is it comes with a very small, what's called an inverter, which can convert it from the type of electricity this creates to the kind you use in your home."
The setup is simple, requiring only three steps: placing the panel in sunlight, connecting it to the inverter, and plugging it into a wall outlet.
"It immediately sends electricity, solar electricity, back through your home," Del Chiarro said. "And it powers whatever appliances are on—your refrigerator, your modem, your lights. And by doing that, you lower your utility bill because you're buying less from your utility."
These panels are designed to be portable, making them ideal for renters or homeowners without access to a roof.
"They are literally considered portable solar panels. That is what they're designed to be," said Del Chiarro. "You can put them in any sunny spot. That could be a balcony. It can be a deck… It could just be leaned against the backyard fence, any place where you have a small patch of sunlight and a nearby outlet."
The portability also allows users to move the panels as the sun shifts throughout the day.
One panel generates 180 watts of electricity, which is less than the 400 watts typically produced by rooftop panels. That's enough power to cover the electricity for something like an insert window air conditioner.
"It will take a bite out of your utility bill," said Del Chiarro.
The solar panels are considered fire safe, with requirements for state standards. Consumers should only buy units that are certified to recognized standards
A major barrier to adoption has been the requirement for utility permission, which includes an interconnection agreement fee.
"In fact, the utility's interconnection agreement that you need to sign and get their permission, it cost $150 just to submit for the paperwork. So it was completely prohibitive of this market," Del Chiarro said.
The new law, SB-868, eliminates the need for utility approval, allowing consumers to purchase these panels directly from retailers like Home Depot, IKEA, and Lowe's.
"You're going to be able to buy these off the shelf, set them up in less than an hour, plug them in, and you don't need to get the permission from anybody," Del Chiarro said.
SB-868 takes effect January 1st.
The panels are currently priced at around $500, but as the market expands, that's expected to drop.
"This panel here will save you around $100 a year," Del Chiarro said. "So it would take a while for it to pay for itself, but they're warrantied and they will last around 20 years. Hopefully we'll get these prices down and they'll save you money even faster."
This story was featured as part of our new California Tonight show. It airs Monday-Friday at 7:30 p.m. Watch on KCRA and KSBW.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

source