NewsNew Balcony solar laws classify plug-in panels as home appliances
Plug-in solar lets you plug panels straight into a wall outlet. Thirty-five states and Washington D.C. are moving bills to legalize it. The goal is zero building permits and zero utility oversight.
Your electric bill might soon drop if a new wave of portable solar laws sweeps through your state. Thirty-five states and Washington D.C. have already passed, enacted, or are actively debating new bills concerning plug-in solar. Often called Balcony solar or backyard solar, these small photovoltaic systems are purchased right off the shelf. You simply buy a microinverter and a few solar modules, then plug the unit directly into a standard AC wall outlet in your home. Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president focusing on California at the Environmental Working Group and former executive director of the California Solar and Storage Association, says the technology offers a direct fix for high electricity costs. Utah was the very first state to pass the law thanks to Utah State Representative Raymond Ward, a pediatrician by day and legislator by night who read about the systems in Germany and brought the idea home. California is the most recent major state to pass related legislation despite stiff utility opposition. The ultimate goal of the new laws is to eliminate official government oversight, city building permits, and restrictions from landlords or homeowners associations. Lawmakers want to classify the portable systems strictly as household appliances like a microwave or a portable air conditioner. That means safety is handled entirely by the manufacturer through UL certification instead of requiring expensive contractor installations and permanent roof modifications. "If you had a portable air conditioner, you don't get a building permit for that, you just plug it in," Bernadette Del Chiaro explained to Solar Power World. This means you will soon be able to generate your own clean power on a Balcony or patio without asking permission from your local utility company. If you want to slash your monthly utility payments without drilling holes in your roof, keep a close eye on your state legislature as these plug-in appliance rules spread nationwide.