Solar, accessible for all
A panel about the size of a door hangs on your balcony, plugs into an ordinary outlet, and quietly cuts your electricity bill. No roof, no installer, no contract — and it comes with you when you move.
Seven questions, about a minute. It will tell you if the answer is no.
Not yet law. Passed the Legislature, waiting on the Governor.
As of September 1, 2026 · Follow the bill →
We'll email you the day he decides.
One email, the same day, saying what happened and what it means for you. Then nothing until the next real change.
Roughly twice a month at most. Unsubscribe whenever. We don't sell the list.
How it works
The longer version →
1
It goes outside
On a balcony railing, a patio, or against a sunny wall. About the size of a door, and about as heavy as a bicycle.
2
It plugs into an outlet
A normal outdoor socket, the same as a lamp. No electrician, no rewiring, no holes in the wall.
Image needed
Line diagram: panel, converter, plug, house — with a thinner arrow to the grid labelled 'worth nothing'. Slate and amber line art, not a photo.
3
Your home uses it first
Whatever is switched on takes the panel's power before it takes any from the power company. Your meter just runs slower.
What it costs, and what it saves
Work out your own number →| Rooftop solar | A plug-in kit | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay up front | $25,000 | $285–$1,000 |
| What it covers | Most of your electricity | About a sixth of it |
| Who installs it | A contractor, under permit, over several days | You, in an afternoon |
| What you sign | Often a 20 to 25 year agreement, frequently financed | Nothing. You buy it like an appliance |
| If you move | It stays with the house | It comes off the railing in a few minutes |
| If you rent | Not available to you | This is the only solar you can buy |
The honest part: a roof produces five to eight times as much power, and it can cover most of a bill rather than a sixth of one. It also costs around forty times as much, needs a roof you own, and usually a loan. This is the other end of that — not a replacement for it.
Two things decide your number, and neither of them is which panel you buy: which way your balcony faces, and whether anyone's home during the day.
Things to be aware of
It won't power your home in a blackout
It switches off the moment the grid does. That's a safety rule that protects the people repairing the lines, and there's no way around it.
Why →Spare power is given away
Anything you make but don't use goes to the grid, and you're paid nothing for it. That's why these systems are deliberately small.
How we count it →There's no tax credit any more
The 30 percent federal credit ended for anything bought after December 2025. If a price you're quoted still subtracts it, it's out of date.
What changed →
Sources
Every legal, numeric and safety claim on this page traces to one of these.
- SB 868, Plug and Play Solar Act — bill text and history — accessed September 1, 2026
- SCE Rate Advisory, June 2026 — accessed September 1, 2026