Plug-In Solar Panels Are Starting to Sprout in U.S. Backyards
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Utah became the first state to legalize plug-in solar systems last year, and nine other states — including New Jersey, Virginia, and Colorado — have since followed, per the article.
- Colorado enacted one of the broadest plug-in solar laws this year; State Representative Lesley Smith, a Democrat, sponsored the bill after first seeing the technology on a trip to Germany, which has pioneered its use.
- Melani Jackson, a 35-year-old Salt Lake City homeowner, installed four plug-in panels in her backyard after watching a YouTube video and has saved roughly $77 on her electricity bill over six months.
- Plug-in systems typically cost a few hundred dollars per panel, require no permits in states that allow them, and can be self-installed, making them accessible to renters and homeowners priced out of rooftop solar.
- Lawmakers in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania are considering legislation to legalize plug-in solar, suggesting the trend is likely to expand beyond the current ten states.
Why it matters: For millions of renters priced out of traditional rooftop solar, plug-in panels offer a cheap, permit-free entry point at a few hundred dollars each — but Jackson's six-month savings of just $77 across four panels suggests the financial payoff is marginal, meaning adoption will likely be driven more by environmental values than meaningful bill reduction.
