{"id":827539,"date":"2026-08-27T12:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/827539\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T12:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:10:18","slug":"california-lawmakers-greenlight-solar-panels-you-can-plug-into-the-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/827539\/","title":{"rendered":"California Lawmakers Greenlight Solar Panels You Can Plug Into the Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"

California is transitioning to clean energy. KQED is reporting on what that means for you. What works? What doesn\u2019t? How much does it cost? Help us find these answers and more by donating today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In as little as a year, lowering your electricity bill could be as simple as buying a kit<\/a> with a few solar panels and accessories, completing a quick online registration form, and plugging it into a standard outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

California lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday night to formally legalize plug-in<\/a>, or balcony, solar: small, portable and relatively inexpensive systems that do not require rewiring or the costly installation fees that often come with rooftop solar.<\/p>\n

The legislation, SB 868<\/a>, sailed through the state assembly and senate with bipartisan support. The bill now moves to the governor\u2019s desk for signature.<\/p>\n

The devices can be tented in a backyard, hung off a balcony or placed on a roof. Models range from as low as $300<\/a> to $2200<\/a>, depending on size. The bill would open the solar market to people who were previously left out: renters, people with unsuitable roofs, and those lacking the capital to build out a rooftop system, which can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of California Solar & Storage Association, speaks during a press conference with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during a visit to a solar-powered Berkeley home on Aug. 20, 2021.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no question SB 868 is the most exciting clean energy and energy affordability bill right now up for consideration in California,\u201d said Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that co-sponsored the bill. \u201cYou never get to pass a big controversial bill in one year. We\u2019re poised to do that. It is a huge win.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wave of state legislation over the past 18 months is making balcony solar \u2014 a nascent technology in the U.S. \u2014 within reach of everyday Americans. Utah pioneered a law passed in March 2025, and others quickly followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eight states now have bills on the books that allow a relatively straightforward process for purchasing and setting up balcony solar systems, including Colorado, Virginia and Maine. Bills in New York and New Jersey are awaiting the governors\u2019 signatures, like California.<\/p>\n

Advocates believe California\u2019s market has massive potential. They\u2019re motivated by Germany, where millions of solar panels dot balconies across the country.<\/p>\n

\"\"California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during his last State of the State address on Jan. 8, 2026, in Sacramento, California.\u00a0(Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n

Some Californians have already installed plug-in solar panels, but utilities ask them to complete an interconnection agreement, citing state rules<\/a>. If done through PG&E, for example, representatives from the utility said that process would cost roughly $100 to $800 and take about an hour. Typically, the approval comes through in three days, PG&E staff said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But plug-in solar advocates argued that the interconnection process defeats the plug-and-play nature of the technology, and could double or triple its cost.<\/p>\n

Their goal is to make the panels as ubiquitous and easy to install as any off-the-shelf appliance dotting the racks of a Home Depot or Costco.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The newly passed bill outlines several device requirements. The balcony solar systems must be capped at generating 1,200 watts per home, plug into a standard outlet, offset a customer\u2019s onsite electricity use and meet state and national electrical codes. They also must be certified by an outside safety organization like Underwriters Laboratories and have a feature that would prevent electricity from feeding back into the grid if there\u2019s a power outage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Rupert Mayer installs power inverters on the solar panels at Matthew Milner\u2019s home in Kensington on May 23, 2025.\u00a0(Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Current plug-in solar models do not yet meet the outlined requirements, and customers therefore must still register their systems as though they are rooftop solar. Del Chiaro said there are already a few companies developing devices that will meet the standards in the new California legislation.<\/p>\n

The bill is meant to help reduce the cost of power for Californians and \u201celiminates red tape, so that people in California can actually use plug-in solar right now,\u201d bill author and state Sen. Scott Wiener said during an Assembly hearing in June.<\/p>\n

Del Chiaro estimated that just one 400-watt solar panel would cover about 14% of a typical renter\u2019s apartment\u2019s annual electricity bill and translate to energy-bill savings of roughly $250 a year. That system would provide enough juice to run a refrigerator, modem and Wi-Fi. A larger, 1,200-watt system would generate enough energy to power a window air conditioning unit, \u201cenabling families, especially in our hotter regions, to afford to cool their home on increasingly hot days,\u201d Del Chiaro said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dozens of environmental and community groups and a few cities supported the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plug-in solar advocacy group and nonprofit Bright Saver tentatively celebrated the action.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Rupert Mayer monitors the power produced by the newly installed solar panels at Milner\u2019s home in Kensington on May 23, 2025.\u00a0(Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a clear statement that the biggest state in the union wants this,\u201d said Cora Stryker, the group\u2019s co-founder, although she said she was not happy with an amendment sunsetting the legislation in 2030 and other provisions that could slow down the market for balcony solar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe devil in the details makes it not a home run. It makes it a fight that continues,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fiscal analysis of the bill estimates implementation will cost the state between $200,000 and $500,000 annually to fund program administrator positions.<\/p>\n

If Newsom signs, staff in Wiener\u2019s office estimated that people would be able to buy compatible plug-in solar kits in the spring of 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California is transitioning to clean energy. KQED is reporting on what that means for you. What works? What…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":827540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-827539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=827539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/827540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}