“We are really looking at a movement here” says Bright Saver cofounder of multi-state plug-in solar legislation push

If legislative momentum is any indication, 2026 may become known as the year plug-in solar finally broke through in the United States.

That’s because legislators in at least 24 states have introduced bills to specifically allow small solar installations of up to 1,200 watts to operate in connection with standard outlets in residential homes and multi-unit buildings. 

Cora Stryker, the co-founder of plug-in solar nonprofit Bright Saver, calls it “a movement.” 

In a press briefing on January 29th, 2026, Stryker joined Environmental Working Group California vice president Bernadette Del Chiaro, California state Senator Scott Wiener and Utah state Representative Raymond Ward to discuss Senate Bill 868, also called the Plug Into the Sun Act.

Stryker stressed that passing the California bill is key to expanding balcony solar nationwide. “The nation is watching what happens in California,” she said, “if we get this across the finish line, the market will change permanently. We’ll have economies of scale. We’ll have manufacturers come into the American market, and it will never be the same.”

Bringing balcony and backyard solar to the U.S.

Similar plug-in solar installations are extremely popular in other countries, especially European countries like Germany, where more than a million such systems are registered. But the idea has been slow to catch on in the U.S., where there are few established rules to allow plug-in solar devices to operate in connection with a home’s wiring.

The exception is Utah, where the state legislature unanimously passed H.B. 340 in 2025. The state now allows plug-in solar installations of up to 1,200 watts output to connect with standard household outlets, as long as the systems are UL-certified and comply with NEC Code.

The Utah law was introduced by Rep. Ward, who offered some advice on how other states could replicate Utah’s success. Ward said the subject of the bill “was not one that my fellow legislators had heard of,” adding that he got “some good support” from other people on the call to help educate the lawmakers. 

Another key factor in the Utah bill passing was meeting with representatives of the state’s largest electric utility, Rocky Mountain Power. Ward says the utility reps delineated “what I would need to put in the bill so that they would not oppose it,” and, as evidenced by the bill’s unanimous legislative support, they stayed true to their word.

States considering plug-in solar legislation

The number of states considering plugin solar laws quickly ballooned in late 2025 and early 2026 as new congressional sessions began.

An early mover was Vermont, where the state Senate passed its solar law, S. 202, on January 28th. Bills in other state legislatures have been referred to various committees or are being prepared for introduction. 

The table below shows the states where pv magazine USA is tracking proposed plug-in solar laws.

Carrying the momentum forward

Thousands of bills introduced into state legislatures every year fail to make it out of their first committee. In order for the plug-in solar bills in the above states to become law, they’ll need to pick up support from legislators and avoid the ire of utility companies. 

To that end, solar advocates are working to bring awareness and recommendations to lawmakers across the country. 

Some have developed policy guidebooks to help state policymakers develop model legislation. UL Solutions has released a white paper detailing how plug-in solar devices can be certified as safe.

And Senator Wiener is counting on help from the EWR and Bright Saver to get California’s law passed as soon as possible. 

In the briefing, Wiener said that SB 868 represents “an amazing opportunity to allow people to take control of their energy future and lower their costs,” while Del Chiaro spoke of “urgency and the need to put real energy affordability solutions in the hands of consumers now.”

Stryker pointed out the practical matter of bringing technology to the U.S. market that has been popular in Germany for a decade. She said passage of the California bill would cause plug-in solar equipment manufacturers to “jump in full force, invest in R&D and make this happen quite quickly.”

But even in sunny California, Wiener doesn’t expect passing this bill to be easy. 

“We know that the same monopoly players who don’t want to give up an ounce of control are likely to oppose this.” He said. “I hope they don’t, but they may… We’re going to fight for it, because this is about people’s ability to control their own lives and to lower their energy costs. It’s really important.”

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