DIY Balcony Solar Set to Take USA by Storm
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In more than half of states, lawmakers have introduced legislation that would boost adoption of small plug-in solar panels that sit on apartment balconies and plug directly into household outlets.
Currently, it is only major utilities that deliver power to households. However, their monopoly has recently disappeared in Utah and more than half of the other US states are expected to follow suit in the near future.
Plug-and-play solar panels are already a huge success in Germany, enabling households to lower their electricity bills by self-installing solar arrays on their balconies (or other convenient location) and simply plug them in to a socket. More than a million households in Germany have installed the systems, which people can even order through Ikea.
New York could soon follow Utah’s lead and unleash much broader adoption of solar panels that plug into a standard 120-volt wall outlet. As of last week, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in 28 states and Washington, D.C., have announced their own legislation to make these systems permissible. As utility bills climb and contribute to broader cost-of-living challenges across the United States, legislators see the portable tech as an affordability tool.
Missouri state Rep. Mark Matthiesen, a Republican, sponsored a DIY solar bill in December. Electricity rates are climbing fast in his state; families who get a system could save $30 to $40 per month and break even in as little as 25 months, he said. “Then, everything beyond that is money back in your pocket,” said Matthiesen. “If people can buy something to invest in themselves, to save them money down the road, then we as a government just need to let people do that.”
