California signs plug-in solar law, the largest US balcony solar market
Victoria Shinder2 min readPlug-in solar panels, the kind that hang from a balcony railing and plug into a wall socket, will be legal across California from next year. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 868, pv magazine USA reports, opening the devices to a state of 39 million people. The governor signed it on 30 September, the last day to act on bills from the 2026 session.
The bill, informally known as the Plug Into the Sun Act, was introduced in January by state senator Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco. It takes effect on 1 January 2027 and defines portable solar generation devices as photovoltaic devices designed to be connected to a building's wiring through a receptacle and to offset electricity used on site. A single dwelling can have devices with a total AC output of no more than 1,200 watts, and they must be certified by UL or an equivalent testing laboratory. The law exempts the devices from utility interconnection requirements and bars utilities from charging fees or requiring customers to obtain permission.
Wiener pitched the law as relief from high electricity bills, including for renters, who make up a large share of potential users; such devices are often called balcony solar because apartment dwellers with little outdoor space use them. According to pv magazine, 35 states considered plug-in solar laws in 2026 after Utah passed the first, HB 340, in 2025, and bills in eight other states were signed before California's. New York's SUNNY Act, passed by the legislature in June, awaits the governor's signature. Supporters included the Environmental Working Group, the California Solar and Storage Association, the Sierra Club and the nonprofit Bright Saver.
Why it matters
The appeal of plug-in solar is that it skips the utility process entirely, which is also its limit: at 1,200 W per home the energy is small. What California adds is scale - millions of renters and apartment dwellers who could never install rooftop panels - and a market large enough for manufacturers to certify products specifically for US rules.