California regulations have made it costly and confusing for residents to install plug-in portable solar panels. Lawmakers are trying to change that.
Balcony solar panels are small units that connect to standard wall outlets, allowing renters to harness the sun's energy and slash their utility bills by about $450 a year, according to PV Magazine. However, current regulations require would-be balcony solar users to obtain expensive permits and enter interconnection agreements with utility companies.
Legislation introduced in the California State Senate would classify balcony solar panels similarly to other small appliances, cutting through red tape and hopefully encouraging more widespread adoption of the devices.
Solar panels of any size allow people to ease the burden of increasing energy costs by drawing less power from the grid. Solar panels come in all shapes and sizes, and EnergySage is a helpful place to explore solar options, offering quick installation estimates and quote comparisons.
Balcony solar units sell for as low as $299, making them affordable alternatives to full-scale installations. Thus far, only Utah allows residents to install balcony solar without a utility company's approval, Canary Media reported, but more than a dozen other states have introduced bills to make the technology more accessible.
In the meantime, EnergySage can help people save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. Its mapping tool also makes it easy to see the average cost of a home solar system on a state-by-state level while detailing solar incentives for each state, so you can take advantage of every incentive available to you.
Pairing solar setups with energy storage provides even greater energy independence, allowing homeowners to boost their savings — and keep the lights on during power outages. To learn more about home battery storage options and view competitive installation estimates, check out EnergySage's free tools.
EnergySage also has free tools for learning more about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
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It's unclear whether the California legislation will pass, but news of the bill garnered positive feedback online.
In a comment on Reddit's r/solar community, one user wrote, "California has around 10x the population of Utah (currently the only state in the US where balcony solar is legal), so this would be huge if it passes."
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$200 or more 💰 Other comments were excited to augment their existing solar setups with balcony panels.
"Going to supplement my rooftop system with this if it passes to surpass the 100% usage limit," another user wrote, with several additional commenters chiming in that they would do the same.
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