Plug-In Solar Pros & Cons

Plug-In Solar: Accessibility or Just a Band-Aid?

Solar Industry News

February 6, 2026

by Jill McLaughlin

Plug-In Solar: Accessibility or Just a Band-Aid?

Plug-in solar, also called balcony solar, has taken off in Germany, where an estimated 4 million systems have been installed. Now, policymakers across the US are working on regulations to make this type of solar permissible. Last year, Utah passed plug-in solar legislation with bipartisan support. Lawmakers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts have all introduced legislation for consideration in 2026.

Is plug-in solar the golden solution to solar affordability? Or is a 3-panel balcony system too small to actually make a difference? The answer, as usual, is somewhere in the middle. While plug-in solar increases accessibility and provides a low-cost gateway to the world of renewable energy, there are some safety and scalability concerns.

Our hope? That in addition to providing opportunities for DIY small scale solar, discussions around plug-in solar will highlight the real way to lower energy costs: by fixing our broken permitting and interconnection systems, by building equitable community solar for renters, and by lowering barriers to larger-scale solar that is proven to make a dent in energy bills and the climate crisis.

What Is Plug-In Solar?

plug in solar.webp A typical plug-in solar system consists of 1-4 small solar panels placed on a patio or balcony – often simply zip-tied into place – and plugged into a standard outlet. In Germany the systems retail at $300 - $1200, with some of the pricier systems including battery storage. Energy produced by the system is fed back through the existing branch circuits in your home and goes directly to your home appliances, offsetting energy bills. Exact numbers depend on the usual factors – orientation, angle, appliance efficiency, utility rate – but plug-in solar is estimated to offset an average of 5% of a home’s electric load, saving people a few hundred dollars every year.

Much like our Member-Owned Community Solar projects in Maine, plug-in solar could make solar production possible for renters and condo-owners. However, unlike Member-Owned Community Solar (where residents can offset close to 100% of their electric bill with clean solar energy), plug-in solar is only able to produce a small amount of energy.

Safety & Quality Concerns: Should Solar Really Be a DIY Project?

As an employee-owned company, ReVision takes particular pride in the quality of our solar installations, and the safety of our co-owners and customers. We prioritize safety and longevity over speed, ensuring our customers understand the systems, their monitoring, and the 25-year warranty. Poor-quality installs and intimidating sales tactics have already damaged the solar industry reputation (that’s why we made our Guide to Avoiding Shady Practices last year), so we need to create a safe, viable pathway for quality plug-in solar installations. This may mean requiring a licensed electrician to oversee the installation or obtaining a permit through your town code office (as is required for other home improvements).

Where do New England states stand?

Although plug-in solar systems can technically be purchased online right now, it is only currently permitted in the state of Utah, which legalized small portable solar systems in 2025 with unanimous, bipartisan support. With plug-in solar hype sweeping the nation, there are now at least 21 other states examining the permitting in 2026, including all three of the states in which ReVision operates:

Maine (LD 1730)

LD 1730, which advanced out of committee on January 29 with a bipartisan vote, is the active bill that would formally legalize plug‑in solar and small plug‑in batteries and could become law as early as this summer.
The bill exempts plug‑in systems from the interconnection process, defining a maximum system size, and creating a utility notification requirement so utilities can track aggregate installed capacity.
ReVision Energy provided written testimony in support of LD 1730, emphasizing the fact that plug-in solar will increase accessibility to a broad group of Mainers.

"Solar—as it always has been—is a solution for rising electricity prices. Enabling smaller solar systems introduces affordability and thus increases market access, enabling more Mainers to take agency over their electricity bills—especially those that need the most relief.” —Lindsay Bourgoine, ReVision Energy Director of Policy & Government Affairs

New Hampshire (SB 540)

SB 540 has both Democratic and Republican sponsors, which gives it strong potential. The bill exempts plug‑in systems from interconnection and net metering, sets safety standards, and allows export in some cases
This “behind‑the‑meter only” structure keeps administrative burdens low while still letting people offset some of their own usage.
Like Maine's bill, it requires homeowners notify the utility, specifically sharing wattage and number of devices
It requires the DOE to establish a website with relevant information on plug-in solar for consumers on devices, meter compatibility, bill impacts, safety standards, and considerations.

"There is a surprisingly simple 'live free' solution available to every Granite Stater to lower their electricity bills and become more energy independent — if state rules will let them. It’s called plug-in solar and a new bipartisan bill in Concord would make it law . . . It’s a quintessentially New Hampshire solution, free of bureaucratic red tape."
—Dan Weeks and George Hansel, op-ed, New Hampshire Union Leader

Massachusetts (Energy Affordability Package)

MA typically moves legislation through large, omnibus bills.
Plug‑in solar language is currently in Section 37 of H4744 of this year’s Energy Affordability package. The House and Senate will work together on one final package, likely including plug-in solar, later this year.
As currently written, it does exempt plug-in solar from interconnection requirements and net metering.

Shining a Light on Interconnection Issues

Plug-in solar is highlighting a fact we’ve been trying to communicate for years: the costs and timelines for utility interconnection are too long, and the risks to the grid from small, behind-the-meter solar are exceptionally small. In the U.S. the “soft costs” associated with solar – permitting, interconnection applications, negotiations with the utility – are incredibly burdensome and resource-intensive, making the overall cost of a solar installation higher than it needs to be.

Our hope with plug-in solar is that it will reveal how simple and straightforward the process can be for small-scale solar – whether that’s a 3-panel balcony array at an apartment, or a 12-panel rooftop array on a single-family home.

Podcast Recommendation: “Volts” interview with Saul Griffith

"This balcony solar is a good thing, but I see it more as flying the flag than the thing that’s substantial. It’s a hack. America should tear the band-aid off and do proper energy market reform and proper permit reform and proper workforce training for deploying solar." —Saul Griffith

Our takeaway:

We’re excited about the possibility of plug-in solar because it makes renewable energy more accessible and launches the right discussions about solar regulation. ReVision Energy’s mission is to create a just and equitable electric future, and both of these outcomes – permitting plug-in solar and re-examining interconnection issues – would allow many more New Englanders to reduce their fossil fuel dependence.

Plug-in solar identifies the right problems (permitting and interconnection cost and complexity, and equitable access for renters/apartment dwellers) but doesn’t provide the full scope of a solution. If we can get the cost of full-scale, professionally designed and installed solar down to $1 per watt (as they’ve done in Australia), solar adoption would soar – without anyone having to zip tie a panel to their railing.