California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill 868, titled the Plug Into the Sun Act. The legislation seeks to establish statewide safety standards and eliminate regulatory barriers for portable and balcony solar devices. The bill is part of the Clean Homes and Energy Affordability Package.
The proposed law defines balcony solar systems as devices between 400 W and 1,200 W that connect to a standard 120 V wall outlet. The systems use integrated microinverters to convert direct current into alternating current for direct connection with home appliances.
The bill prohibits utilities from triggering formal interconnection agreements for these devices.
California electricity rates have nearly doubled over the past decade, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Southern California Edison projected a 12.9% rate increase for 2026.
Proponents of the bill state that balcony solar can reduce a household’s average electricity use by up to 20%. Estimated annual savings for a typical California household reach approximately $450 or about $37.50 per month.
The Environmental Working Group is the primary sponsor of the legislation. Other supporting organizations include the California Solar and Storage Association, Solar Rights Alliance, and Environment California.
Approximately 44% of California households are renters. Portable systems have the added benefit of enabling renters to move the hardware between residences.
Current state regulations treat plug-in systems as large-scale power plants. This classification requires costly permits and utility approvals. SB 868 reclassifies the devices as appliances similar to a toaster oven.
The bill requires the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee to consider the measure later this spring.
Similar technology is already utilized in Europe. Germany reports over four million installed balcony solar units. Utah passed legislation allowing these systems prior to the California introduction.
“SB 868 prohibits unnecessary red tape so more Californians can plug into the sun today,” said Bernadette del Chiaro, senior vice president for California at Environmental Working Group.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.