Plug-In (Balcony) solar

Plug-in or balcony solar panels provide low-cost, easy-to-install, renter-friendly access to clean energy.

Table Of Contents
  1. Why This Matters
  2. Policy Solution
  3. Model Policy Features
  4. Potential Limitations & Pitfalls
  5. Complementary Policies
  6. Examples
  7. Resources
COMMUNITY BENEFITAffordability, Decarbonization
KEYWORDSClean energy, Decarbonization, Distributed energy, Electricity, Renters
REGIONState
AFFORDABILITY STRATEGYResidential Decarbonization
OVERSIGHTUtility Commission
POLICY MECHANISMLegislation, Regulation

Why This Matters

Essentially all renters are excluded from owning or leasing rooftop solar; in some cases they benefit from programs that support landlord adoption of rooftop solar, but more often face the split incentive problem wherein landlords do not have sufficient incentive to adopt solar that would benefit their renters. Many homeowners are also excluded from rooftop solar adoption because of the unsuitability of their roofs. Furthermore, many low- and moderate-income homeowners often cannot afford the high upfront costs of rooftop solar (usually a few kilowatts or more) and may not qualify for financing—even if the panels would save them money in the long run. As a result, a very large number of households, who are disproportionately lower income, are excluded from the economic benefits of reducing and stabilizing electricity bills via rooftop solar. At the same time, the lack of access to solar by tens of millions of households deprives society of a large opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions rapidly and economically.

Policy Solution

Plug-in solar (also called “balcony solar,” “backyard solar,” or “portable solar device”) is a simple system of one or a few solar panels with inverters that can be plugged into a wall outlet to supply a portion of the electricity consumed by the household via the outlet. Hundreds of thousands of plug-in solar panels have been registered in Germany on a do-it-yourself (DIY) basis, with simple installation hardware; there appear to be many more that have not been registered. DIY installation and simple hardware significantly reduces the cost, even though plug-in solar systems are generally much smaller scale than rooftop systems. Enabling legislation and standards are required to ensure that installations are safe. The grid either does not see the system at all, or registers only a nominal increase in electricity supplied; most of the generation registers as energy efficiency would—a reduction in consumption. However, rules specific to the United States, where there are two voltages (120 volts and 240 volts) in different circuits (compared to just one, 230 volts, in Germany) are necessary to ensure safety and full use of the installed capacity.

Model Policy Features

  • Plug-in (balcony) solar is allowed without requiring a utility interconnection agreement or any utility fees.
  • Plug-in solar would be open to renters without requiring landlord permission, and landlords would not be able to prohibit or require unreasonable provisions for installation. If a wall penetration is required for the wire to pass from the balcony or yard (in case there is no suitable outside outlet), renters should be allowed an exception from landlord permission.
  • DIY installation (without an electrician) would be allowed, within carefully defined safety parameters, such as:
    • Appropriate hardware specifications;
    • Ground fault circuit interrupter outlets would be required; they must be compatible with plugging in generating devices;
    • Appropriate standards for touch safety, wiring, and overcurrent protection;1
    • Limiting the size of the system (e.g., 800 or 1200 W);
    • Ensuring that there will be no power fed into the grid during outages.
    • Easy registration, such as through a simple online form.2
  • While a small amount of electricity export to the grid is permitted, this export would not be covered by net metering (meaning it would be uncompensated); any such export could be reduced through the addition of a small battery.
  • Coupling plug-in solar with battery storage increases the potential for third party aggregation for providing grid services and greater compensation for plug-in solar owners (e.g. via demand response or load management).

Potential Limitations & Pitfalls

  • Orientation of the solar panel will not be ideal or close to it in the vast majority of cases because the orientation of the plug-in solar panel may be close to vertical or partially shaded, entailing a loss of up to one-third of the maximum possible generation relative to an optimal orientation. This not only creates longer payback times, but also presents challenges for the consumer to estimate likely solar generation and payback times in the first place.
  • Maximum capacity is necessarily limited by the capacity set of breakers associated with the outlet into which the plug-in solar is plugged in. This is typically a 120-volt outlet. Since there are typically two sets of 120-volt circuit breakers, a plug-in panel would not supply electricity to loads on one of the 120-volt breaker sets (although it would serve any 240-volt loads). Unless new electrical solutions overcome this barrier, this limitation may increase uncompensated export of electricity to the grid if the panel is oversized.
  • While systems are meant to be small enough that most will be consumed on site in real time, any additional electricity that is returned (uncompensated) to the grid will also extend the payback time for the system.
  • Even DIY upfront costs may be prohibitive for some low- and moderate-income households, requiring rebates and incentives or even outright grants to make it possible. If third-party financing is provided as an option, there may be risks without adequate consumer protections in place. 
  • Additional electrical measures to ensure safety—such as a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet or a dedicated circuit for the system, which have been suggested as approaches to reduce electrical safety risks3—would drive up up-front costs and present additional barriers for low-income and renter households.
  • Investor-owned utilities may oppose large-scale implementation, for instance by insisting that installation must be by certified electricians, which would make plug-in solar more expensive.

Complementary Policies

Complementary policies that would support plug-in solar include:

Examples

1. Utah Portable Solar Bill – HB 340: Solar Power Amendments (2025)

Details:

  • Utah passed HB 340, allowing “portable solar generation devices” in its 2025 legislative session, without a dissenting vote. It allows a maximum plug-in solar power output of 1.2 kilowatts on a DIY basis provided the system:
    • “meets the standards of the most recent version of the National Electrical Code;” and
    • “is certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory.”

LIMITATIONS:

  • Installation progress is slow in Utah despite the law due to equipment certification issues; Underwriters Laboratory has just issued a testing and certification process as of early 2026,4 which may help reduce these barriers.
  • Getting permission for a wall penetration for wiring from landlords will be an obstacle as will getting legislation for an exception to landlord permission for plug-in solar.

Resources

Written: November 2025

Updated: January 2026

Updated: February 2026

  1. UL Solutions (2025). UL Solutions. 2025. Interactions of Plug-In PV with Protection of Existing Power Systems. UL Solutions White Paper, pp. 9-13. ↩︎
  2. SolarPower Europe (2015). Plug-In Solar PV Solar for all – a deep-dive on a fast-emerging PV segment. March. ↩︎
  3. Paulos, B. (2026). What States Need to Know About Plug-In Solar. CESA Technology Innovation White Paper. ↩︎
  4. UL Solutions. (January 8, 2026). UL Solutions Debuts Testing and Certification Framework for Safer Plug-In Solar Across the United States. Press Release. ↩︎