California legalizes plug-in balcony solar, but compliant kits aren't here yet

SB 868 was introduced in January by state Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco and part of northern San Mateo County. Newsom signed it on September 30, the last day to act on bills from the 2026 session.

The key rules, according to pv magazine USA:

• Start date: the law takes effect on January 1, 2027.
• What's covered: "portable solar generation devices," meaning solar panels that connect to a building's wiring through a regular outlet and offset the electricity used on site.
• The limit: a single home can have devices with a total output of no more than 1,200 watts.
• Utilities: the devices are exempt from utility interconnection requirements, and utilities can't charge fees or require customers to get permission to use them.

CNET adds that the law covers apartments, condos and single-family homes, and notes that 1,200 watts is about enough to power a window air conditioner.

"These small, easy-to-use solar panels will give everyone, including renters, the relief they desperately need on our outrageous energy bills," Wiener said in a statement, as reported by pv magazine USA.

Plug-in solar isn't a free-for-all. The law requires:

• Certification: kits must be certified by UL or an equivalent testing laboratory, pv magazine USA reports.
• Outage protection: systems must not feed power back into the grid during a power outage. CNET says that may require a separate smart power management meter.

The catch: CNET also reports that systems will need to be registered, much like a rooftop solar system. That sits a little awkwardly next to the law's exemption from utility interconnection, and the exact process is something buyers will want to check once kits arrive.

The big picture: until laws like this, installing solar that could send power back to the grid required an interconnection agreement with the utility.

In California, that process cost $100 to $800 upfront and took about an hour to complete, with approval typically taking three days, CNET reports, citing PG&E. Plug-in solar skips the expensive wiring and installation of rooftop panels, so it can go on a balcony, in a backyard or on a roof wherever there's open space and a standard outlet.

That makes it one of the few ways renters and apartment dwellers can generate some of their own solar power.

"This new law will deliver cleaner power, greater energy independence and real savings for consumers," said Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president for California at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, one of the groups that pushed for the bill, according to pv magazine USA.

In real life Picture a renter in a sunny Los Angeles apartment hanging two panels on the balcony railing and plugging them into an outdoor outlet. The power they make gets used in the apartment first, trimming the electric bill a little every sunny day.

California is the 10th state to legalize balcony solar, and the Environmental Working Group says it effectively doubles the size of the US market, according to CNET.

• Utah was first, in 2025, with HB 340, pv magazine USA reports.
• New Jersey is among the more recent states. CNET says its law stops landlords and local governments from blocking residents from installing systems up to 1,200 watts.
• New York passed its SUNNY Act in June, but it still awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature, according to pv magazine USA.
• The trend: 35 states considered plug-in solar laws in 2026, pv magazine USA reports.

The technology is already big in Europe. Germany alone has 4 million systems installed, CNET reports. The photo above shows balcony panels on an apartment block in Leipzig.

Yes, and it matters. pv magazine USA reports that utilities got a 2030 sunset added to the bill.

The sunset would repeal the rules that exempt plug-in solar from interconnection requirements and stop utilities from requiring permission. It was a last-minute addition by the Assembly Appropriations Committee in August, before the bill's final vote.

Kevin Chou, a co-founder of the nonprofit Bright Saver, is betting on demand to keep the rules in place. "The way we beat it is to put plug-in solar on so many California balconies by then that no legislator will vote to take it away," he told pv magazine USA.

Bright Saver has been selling plug-in solar kits to Californians for more than a year, most recently at cost, operating in something of a legal gray area to show the technology is safe and useful while it pushed for rules, pv magazine USA reports.

Chou said a policy expert once told him a California law would take three to five years. "Plug-in solar is so easy to understand that it only took one legislative session," he said.

Not yet, says CNET. It reports that none of the units currently on the market meet California's requirements. Groups that sponsored the bill expect compliant models to arrive in the spring, and noncompliant systems will become illegal in the state in 2030.

Manufacturers are watching closely. At the IFA tech show in Berlin in September, CNET saw balcony solar systems from Jackery, EcoFlow, Bluetti and others. A Bluetti representative said the company was waiting for US regulations to settle before releasing its systems here. pv magazine USA notes that EcoFlow's STREAM series has been popular in Utah.

"This is a huge win for California renters, condo owners and anyone who wants an affordable, simple path to more energy independence," EcoFlow's head of communications, Ryan Oliver, told pv magazine USA.

Other supporters of SB 868 included the California Solar and Storage Association, the Sierra Club and Bright Saver, according to pv magazine USA. "These new tools will make energy more affordable for everybody by getting more usage out of the infrastructure that Californians have already paid for," said Brad Heavner, the solar association's executive director.

For more on energy costs and tech, see our story on Amazon's $1 billion pledge to data center towns, which also deals with power bills.

• If you rent in California: you'll be able to use plug-in solar starting January 1, 2027, without needing utility permission, according to pv magazine USA.
• Wait to buy: CNET says no current kit meets the rules, so hold off until certified, California-compliant models arrive, expected next spring.
• Check the details: look for UL certification, the 1,200-watt limit and automatic shut-off during outages, and check any registration steps.
• Outside California: check your state, since 10 now allow plug-in solar and more are considering it.