[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":159},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-\u002Fguides":3,"author-mike":69,"linklist-\u002Fguides\u002Fstart-here,\u002Fguides\u002Fhow-much-does-it-save,\u002Fguides\u002Fwhich-way-does-your-balcony-face":110,"linklist-\u002Fguides\u002Fbattery-or-no-battery,\u002Fguides\u002Fwhats-in-a-kit,\u002Fguides\u002Ftime-of-use-rates":123,"linklist-\u002Fguides\u002Fcan-your-landlord-or-hoa-say-no,\u002Fguides\u002Fis-plug-in-solar-safe,\u002Fis-it-legal":136,"linklist-\u002Fguides\u002Falready-have-rooftop-solar,\u002Ffor-businesses":149,"linklist-\u002Fwizard,\u002Ftools\u002Fcompliance-checker,\u002Ftools\u002Fletter,\u002Ftools\u002Foutlet-check":158},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bare":7,"body":8,"dateModified":54,"datePublished":54,"description":55,"extension":56,"howToSteps":57,"kits":57,"layout":58,"meta":59,"navigation":7,"path":60,"schemaType":61,"seo":62,"sources":57,"stem":63,"targetKeywords":64,"titleTag":67,"translationOf":57,"__hash__":68},"content\u002Fguides\u002Findex.md","Guides","mike",true,{"type":9,"value":10},"minimark",[11,16,24,30,36,42],[12,13],"hero",{":actions":14,"lede":15},"[{\"label\":\"What you'd save\",\"href\":\"\u002Fwizard\",\"primary\":true},{\"label\":\"The FAQ instead\",\"href\":\"\u002Ffaq\"}]","Longer pieces, for when the FAQ answer wasn't enough. If you're starting from nothing, read the first one.",[17,18,20],"page-section",{"title":19},"Start here",[21,22],"link-list",{":paths":23},"[\"\u002Fguides\u002Fstart-here\",\"\u002Fguides\u002Fhow-much-does-it-save\",\"\u002Fguides\u002Fwhich-way-does-your-balcony-face\"]",[17,25,27],{"title":26},"Before you buy",[21,28],{":paths":29},"[\"\u002Fguides\u002Fbattery-or-no-battery\",\"\u002Fguides\u002Fwhats-in-a-kit\",\"\u002Fguides\u002Ftime-of-use-rates\"]",[17,31,33],{"title":32},"Permission and law",[21,34],{":paths":35},"[\"\u002Fguides\u002Fcan-your-landlord-or-hoa-say-no\",\"\u002Fguides\u002Fis-plug-in-solar-safe\",\"\u002Fis-it-legal\"]",[17,37,39],{"title":38},"Special cases",[21,40],{":paths":41},"[\"\u002Fguides\u002Falready-have-rooftop-solar\",\"\u002Ffor-businesses\"]",[17,43,47,51],{"title":44,"href":45,"link-label":46},"The tools","\u002Ftools","All eight",[48,49,50],"p",{},"Shorter than a guide, and they do the work for you.",[21,52],{":paths":53},"[\"\u002Fwizard\",\"\u002Ftools\u002Fcompliance-checker\",\"\u002Ftools\u002Fletter\",\"\u002Ftools\u002Foutlet-check\"]","2026-09-01","Start-here guides on plug-in solar in California: what it saves, who can stop you, whether it's safe, and which way your balcony needs to face.","md",null,"index",{},"\u002Fguides","WebPage",{"title":5,"description":55},"guides\u002Findex",[65,66],"balcony solar guide California","plug in solar guide","Balcony Solar Guides for California | SmallSolarCo","mXw7JjiEi-iJAT0_PLdpA91oo8Wn6fdVAJ6T5oEOf04",{"id":70,"title":71,"body":72,"description":101,"email":99,"extension":56,"location":102,"meta":103,"name":79,"navigation":7,"path":104,"photo":105,"role":106,"sameAs":57,"seo":107,"stem":108,"__hash__":109},"authors\u002Fauthors\u002Fmike.md","Mike",{"type":9,"value":73},[74,81,84,89,92],[48,75,76,80],{},[77,78,79],"strong",{},"Mike Yu"," started SmallSolarCo after working out that a plug-in panel was the only kind of solar available to him — he rents in Irvine with a west-facing balcony and no roof of his own. He is not an electrician, a solar installer, or a lawyer, and the site says so wherever it matters. He has a background building web products, and built the savings model here himself, using NREL irradiance data and Southern California Edison's published rates.",[48,82,83],{},"Since September 2026 he has been running a plug-in kit on that balcony and logging what it actually produces. Every measured figure on this site comes from that kit. Everything else is labelled as an estimate.",[85,86,88],"h2",{"id":87},"editorial-independence","Editorial independence",[48,90,91],{},"We don't accept review units on terms that involve anyone approving the review first. If a manufacturer sends us a kit, we say so on the review, and we keep the right to publish a bad one.",[48,93,94,95,100],{},"Reach him at ",[96,97,99],"a",{"href":98},"mailto:hello@smallsolarco.com","hello@smallsolarco.com",".","Mike Yu started SmallSolarCo after working out that a plug-in panel was the only kind of solar available to him — he rents in Irvine with a west-facing balcony and no roof of his own. He is not an electrician, a solar installer, or a lawyer, and the site says so wherever it matters. He has a background building web products, and built the savings model here himself, using NREL irradiance data and Southern California Edison's published rates.","Irvine, California",{},"\u002Fauthors\u002Fmike","\u002Fimages\u002Fauthors\u002Fmike.jpg","Founder",{"description":101},"authors\u002Fmike","kb0uodhMlGk_YV3nMOIXdr6bpZgtB5zNoRxdGxsXMQ8",[111,115,119],{"path":112,"title":113,"description":114},"\u002Fguides\u002Fhow-much-does-it-save","How much does balcony solar actually save in California?","Between $95 and $564 a year depending on direction, tilt, and whether anyone's home. Every figure with the arithmetic shown.",{"path":116,"title":117,"description":118},"\u002Fguides\u002Fstart-here","Plug-in solar for California renters: the start-here guide","You rent, you have no roof, and your SCE bill keeps climbing. Everything you need to know about plug-in solar, assuming you know nothing about solar.",{"path":120,"title":121,"description":122},"\u002Fguides\u002Fwhich-way-does-your-balcony-face","Which way does your balcony face, and why it decides everything","A north-facing panel makes a third of what a south-facing one makes. Direction and tilt matter more than which kit you buy or what you spend.",[124,128,132],{"path":125,"title":126,"description":127},"\u002Fguides\u002Fbattery-or-no-battery","Battery or no battery?","A battery raises your annual saving by about 50% and roughly doubles the payback. Worth it if you're out during the day or on a time-of-use plan.",{"path":129,"title":130,"description":131},"\u002Fguides\u002Ftime-of-use-rates","Will it work with time-of-use rates?","Solar makes power at midday; utilities charge most from 4pm to 9pm. What that gap does to your savings, and how to close it.",{"path":133,"title":134,"description":135},"\u002Fguides\u002Fwhats-in-a-kit","What's in a kit, and what you'll also need to buy","Kits are sold as if they arrive complete. They rarely do. Here's what's in the box, what isn't, and what the extras cost.",[137,141,145],{"path":138,"title":139,"description":140},"\u002Fguides\u002Fcan-your-landlord-or-hoa-say-no","Can your landlord or HOA say no?","Yes, your landlord probably can. Your HOA is a genuinely open question — the Solar Rights Act was written for roofs and has never been tested on balconies.",{"path":142,"title":143,"description":144},"\u002Fguides\u002Fis-plug-in-solar-safe","Is plug-in solar safe? What the fire officials and UL actually said","Firefighters and electrical workers opposed SB 868 on genuine engineering grounds. Here's their argument, the answer, and what it means for you.",{"path":146,"title":147,"description":148},"\u002Fis-it-legal","Is plug-in solar legal in California yet?","SB 868 passed the Legislature on 26 August 2026 and awaits the Governor's signature by 30 September. What it does, what it doesn't, and what to do now.",[150,154],{"path":151,"title":152,"description":153},"\u002Ffor-businesses","Plug-in solar for small businesses","A shop open during the day uses nearly all of what a panel makes, where a home uses about 60%. The catch: SB 868 is written around dwelling units.",{"path":155,"title":156,"description":157},"\u002Fguides\u002Falready-have-rooftop-solar","You already have rooftop solar. Read this first","If you have rooftop solar on net billing, a plug-in panel probably exports at 5-8 cents instead of saving you 33. Usually not worth it.",[],1788387857375]