Illinois Weighs Plug-In Balcony Solar Bill as US States Follow Utah
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Illinois is considering Senate Bill 3104, which would replace the state's pre-authorization requirement for plug-in solar with a simple notification form, bar extra fees, and prohibit landlords and HOAs from creating unreasonable installation obstacles.
- Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) sponsors the bill in the House with Sen. Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) as lead sponsor; Ventura framed plug-in solar as requiring 'no expensive installation, no major construction, no waiting months for approval.'
- UL Solutions launched a new certification program in January based on UL 3700, establishing construction, performance, and labeling criteria tailored to interactive plug-in photovoltaic equipment used in balcony solar systems.
- Germany's balcony solar market registered 276,000 units in 2023, added 435,000 in 2024, and surpassed one million total panels last year, according to SolarPower Europe figures cited in the report.
- Utah is currently the only state to have passed a comprehensive balcony solar law covering systems up to 1,200 watts, while Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia are considering similar legislation.
- Enphase launched its IQ Balcony Solar System in Germany last May, offering plug-and-play installation for apartment dwellers and homeowners with limited roof space.
Why it matters: If Illinois's bill becomes law, it would join Utah as just the second US state with a comprehensive enabling framework for plug-in balcony solar, directly benefiting renters and apartment dwellers shut out of rooftop arrays. The combination of state legislation and UL's new safety standard gives utilities and regulators a concrete template to evaluate these systems, removing the two biggest cited barriers (authorization rules and landlord/HOA restrictions).
