Compare plug-in solar kits for California
As of 1 September 2026 there are roughly five kits worth considering in California, and none of them is a complete system carrying full UL 3700 certification — the standard SB 868 will require. Several use microinverters that are individually certified, which is the closest thing available.
The table
| Kit | Size | Price | Battery | Certification | Ships to CA | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Saver 180W | 1 panel, 180W | $285 (member) / $499 | No | Components listed | Yes | Trying it out cheaply |
| Bright Saver 360W | 1 panel, 360W | $414 (member) / $699 | No | Components listed | Yes | A small apartment, done properly |
| APsystems EZ1-LV based kits | up to 900W | ~$325 (inverter) / $969–$1,100 complete | No | UL 3700 listed (inverter, via CSA) | Yes | Anyone who wants to be certain it's compliant in January |
| Hoymiles HiFlow Pro | 360W per unit | Not published | No | UL 3700 compliant (inverter) | Limited | Building up to 1,200W across multiple outlets |
| EcoFlow STREAM Microinverter | up to 1,200W | $299 early-bird / $599 | No | UL 1741 listed | Utah first, CA expanding | People who want an app and a battery path |
| EcoFlow STREAM Ultra | 1,200W + storage | $1,459–$2,399 | 1.92 kWh LFP | UL 1741 listed | Check before ordering | Evening peak avoidance |
| CraftStrom 800W | 800W | ~$2,031 | Optional | ETL to UL 1741 / IEEE 1547, zero-export meter | Yes | Businesses and anyone wanting zero-export certainty |
Prices as of September 1, 2026. "Components listed" means the microinverter carries a safety listing but the complete system does not yet hold UL 3700 certification.
Image needed
Macro shot of a certification label on a microinverter, close enough to read the standard number and the laboratory mark.
How to read the certification column
This is the single most important column and the one most sites gloss over.
UL 3700 is the new standard written specifically for plug-in photovoltaic equipment. UL Solutions launched it in January 2026. SB 868 requires devices to be certified as plug-in PV by UL or an equivalent testing laboratory, which in practice means UL 3700.
UL 1741 is the older standard for grid-interactive inverters. Plenty of products advertise it. It's a genuine safety listing and it's not nothing, but it isn't the plug-in standard, and it may not be enough on its own come January 2027.
ETL is a listing from Intertek, another nationally recognised testing laboratory. ETL to UL 1741 means the product was tested against UL's standard by a different lab. That's legitimate.
"Components listed" means individual parts carry listings but nobody has certified the assembled system. This is where most of the market sits right now.
What we'd do: buy a kit whose microinverter is certified to UL 3700 specifically. That's the component the law is really about, and it's the part that would be obsolete if you bought the wrong thing.
Run a product you're considering through the checker →
Why the catalogue is this thin
The Assembly's own committee analysis in June 2026 found that no commercially available balcony solar system had achieved UL 3700 certification, and noted the law would effectively hold back adoption until manufacturers responded.
That's still broadly true. Certification takes months and costs money, and manufacturers were waiting to see whether California would pass anything before spending it. Now that the bill has cleared the Legislature, expect the catalogue to fill out through 2027. If you want the widest choice, waiting a year gets it.
What we'd buy, in three sentences
Under $400 and just curious: Bright Saver's 180-watt kit. It's a nonprofit selling at cost, it pays us nothing, and it's the cheapest honest way to find out whether your balcony is any good.
$700–$1,100 and doing this properly: a two-panel kit built on an APsystems EZ1-LV, because that inverter is certified to the standard the law will actually require.
Home in the evenings, big bill, and you don't mind a longer payback: an EcoFlow STREAM Ultra once it's properly available in California, for the battery.
We'll tell you when the catalogue changes
One email when a kit gets certified, a price moves, or something genuinely new ships to California.
Unsubscribe whenever. We don't sell the list.
Sources
Every legal, numeric and safety claim on this page traces to one of these.
- UL Solutions, UL 3700 plug-in photovoltaic certification — accessed September 1, 2026
- Hoymiles, 'HiFlow Pro, first UL 3700 compliant plug-in microinverter in the US', 15 July 2026 — accessed September 1, 2026
- Bright Saver balcony solar kits — accessed September 1, 2026