California legislators approved a bill on Aug. 26 that could help reduce skyrocketing energy costs for residents by allowing them to install plug-in solar panels as an alternative, portable way to meet household energy needs.
The bill, Senate Bill 868, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would establish safety standards for portable solar systems, also known as “balcony solar systems.” These systems could allow residents who may not be able to install rooftop solar to take advantage of California’s sunny climate.
How Plug-In Solar Systems Would Work
With this system, residents can place a few small solar panels in their backyard or on their balcony to generate energy, then plug the system directly into their home’s standard 120-volt outlet to prioritize drawing from the solar panels rather than the electrical grid.
“This is a way that we can expand access to solar to a huge array of Californians who are not benefiting now, including renters, including people who own smaller, more modest homes,” Wiener said when he introduced the bill to the California Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications on March 17.
The bill is now heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, awaiting either his signature or a veto.
Although these portable solar systems are new to California, the emerging technology is being widely adopted in Europe. In Germany, more than 1 million systems have been installed nationwide, according to the World Resources Institute.
This wide adoption is evident as the systems have become available at stores such as IKEA, which offers affordable plug-in solar systems on its European websites, starting at about $570 as of August 2026.
Eight other states have already approved plug-in solar legislation, with Utah becoming the first state to legalize the practice in 2025.
Potential Savings and Safety Concerns
California residents experience some of the highest electricity rates in the nation, stemming from state subsidies, infrastructure investments and utility rate increases in recent years.
When Wiener introduced the bill, he noted that residents have been fighting an affordability crisis as rates continue to rise year over year. He specifically pointed to customers of companies such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which saw electricity rates increase by nearly 40% between 2022 and 2025, he said.
Advocates for plug-in solar systems, such as Solar United Neighbors, argue that adopting the technology could help California residents save $400 to $800 annually.
“A typical plug-in system can cut your electricity bills by several hundred dollars per year. The average payback time for a system purchased today is about five years,” the Solar United Neighbors website says. “The cost for plug-in solar is forecast to drop from nearly $3 per watt today to just under 60 cents per watt within two to three years of enabling legislation in a critical mass of states.”
Although the bill passed both the California Assembly and Senate, organizations such as the California State Association of Electrical Workers expressed disapproval of the law and the technology as it made its way through the chambers.
The association was primarily concerned about the potential danger of allowing consumers to purchase and install plug-in solar systems without installation, maintenance or inspection standards.
“This is a dangerous precedent, because adding additional current from a plug-in photovoltaic system that is not protected by an upstream panelboard branch circuit overcurrent protective device — rather than hard-wiring into a home’s main electrical panel — could overload conductors, increasing the risk of electric shock and fire,” the association’s statement says.
“It is a near certainty that, if plug-in photovoltaic generation is approved, an unsuspecting homeowner or renter will unknowingly create a hazardous situation, putting their home or loved ones at risk.”
Although the bill does not require residents to hire a professional or seek approval from an electric corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility to install these plug-in systems, it allows a company to require customers to notify and register their devices with the company.
Additionally, companies will not be allowed to charge fees related to the device or force residents to connect their devices to a building’s electrical system.
Read the full article here
