When Utah unanimously passed legislation this year to make plug-in solar more obtainable, Vermont lawmakers were paying attention.
Sen. Anne Watson (D) said Utah’s unanimous, bipartisan support made her think how doable a plug-in solar bill in Vermont would be. Now she is leading a campaign to gain support for plug-in solar ahead of next year’s bill session, when she plans to introduce plug-in solar legislation.
Watson, who chairs the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, has a track record in turning clean energy’s never been done before to “done.” She was a lead sponsor in the Climate Superfund Act, which requires oil and gas companies to pay for damages from extreme storms fueled by carbon emissions. Vermont became the first state to ever enact such legislation.
The bill would propose removing current requirements like interconnection agreements with utilities and registration, as is currently required with solar installations 10 times as large, Watson said. Residents would only need to notify their electric companies that they had such a system under her bill, Watson said.
With Vermont’s legislature currently in recess, advocates have time to build support before the 2026 session begins, hoping to replicate Utah’s unanimous success in making clean energy more accessible to all residents.
Rather than wait for the Assembly to reconvene in January, Watson and Rep Kathleen James (D) launched a campaign for plug-in solar with balcony solar nonprofit Bright Saver, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, and Vermont Natural Resources Council.
Image: Bright Saver
“This campaign is about empowering residents, cutting energy costs, and reducing emissions – while updating our rules to match the realities of new, safe, proven technologies,” Watson said.
While costs for plug-in solar are now comparable per watt to traditional rooftop systems, their lower purchase price and quicker payback period make them immediately attractive to consumers, particularly to renters who can not only go solar by plugging in, but bring their panels with them from apartment to apartment.
People often use “balcony solar” as a blanket term for plug-in solar. However, while plug-in solar can be mounted on a balcony, it can also be mounted on walls, gates, flat on roofs, or as standalone in gardens.
Removing regulatory hurdles
To be clear, plug-in solar legislation is not about “legalizing” plug-in solar. Rather, it provides rules that are more appropriate for its scale. For states like Vermont, the rules for connecting generation to the grid were designed for larger, rooftop and backyard solar installations that are unnecessarily complex and costly for plug-in legislation, according to Bright Saver.
Vermont’s campaign calls for legislation that would:
- Establish a “Right to Plug In” so households can connect certified systems without costly applications or fees.
- Require certain safety standards, ensuring all systems meet national benchmarks like those from Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
- Provide simple, transparent rules for residents, landlords and utilities.
Taking cues from Germany to a national movement
Most plug-in solar systems in Germany are not registered, so nobody knows exactly how many there are. According to Solar Power Europe, Germany had at least 780,000 plug-in solar systems connected to the grid by the end of 2024, but some estimates go as high as nearly 4 million plug-in solar installations connected to Germany’s grid.
Though plug-in solar legislation removes barriers, there are still hurdles to get past before the U.S. sees widespread adoption.
As the technology continues to gain ground, the U.S. will likely look to Germany’s adoption, which served as the blueprint for other European countries (and a reference point for Utah’s legislation). However, the safety standards and power system had to work through are completely different, so the U.S. is on its own and still at square one.
The Vermont initiative is part of a broader national effort led by Bright Saver, a new nonprofit launched earlier this year to bring plug-in solar to the United States. Executive Director Kevin Chou sees Vermont as a potential model for nationwide adoption.
Vermont lawmakers are taking cues from Utah, which unanimously passed legislation this year making balcony solar less restrictive and more obtainable. Utah’s new law exempts balcony solar systems from technical interconnection requirements and agreements, and forbids utilities from requiring approval, charging fees, or demanding additional controls beyond what’s integrated into the system. The plug-in systems are not eligible for Utah’s net metering program.
Pennsylvania also announced plans to introduce similar plug-in solar legislation, with Rep. Chris Pielli proposing a bill that would eliminate interconnection agreement requirements and prohibit electric distribution companies from imposing fees on systems that have obtained national safety certifications. Similar to Utah, the plug-in systems would be ineligible to participate in the state’s net metering program.
“Plug-in solar puts clean, affordable energy within reach for every household,” Chou said. “Vermont can lead the way by proving solar savings aren’t just for the wealthy or those with expensive systems – they’re for everyone.”
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