Connecticut lawmakers are weighing whether to expand the ability of households to use small, portable plug-in solar panels—sometimes called balcony solar—as utilities and customers deal with high electricity bills. While there is no Connecticut law that explicitly bars the devices, experts say rules on interconnection agreements and unclear regulations have limited their adoption.
That dynamic could change under House Bill 5340, a broader solar measure moving through the General Assembly. The proposal would carve out a pathway for customers to install plug-in panels with an output of up to 1,200 watts without first seeking permission from their local electric utility, provided the systems meet specified safety and consumer-protection requirements.
Proponents point to the potential for the devices to let consumers use electricity they generate for ordinary home needs. Connor Yakaitis, deputy director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, said the “advantages are for the consumer” and described the practical appeal of being able to charge or power major appliances, including “like a refrigerator.” He also argued that awareness of even “a little amount of power that they’re producing” can make people “more conscious of the power that they’re using,” tying the technology to energy-efficiency behavior.
The bill also reflects what supporters see as a growing national shift toward making plug-in solar easier to deploy. AP reported that the U.S. has adopted plug-in solar more slowly than some other countries, where smaller panels are already used—such as Germany, which supporters say has allowed renters to offset some monthly electricity costs. The AP story also cited legislative changes elsewhere in the U.S., including Utah’s move last year to eliminate regulatory hurdles and Virginia’s earlier action this year, with additional states weighing similar changes, according to an analysis by Canary Media.
The bill advanced from the Energy and Technology Committee last week on a party-line vote, but opposition arguments focused on portions of the proposal beyond the plug-in solar legality. Still, concerns have surfaced about whether the devices can operate safely and reliably with existing electrical infrastructure, including how excess power would be handled.
In written testimony earlier this month, Andrew Belden, Eversource’s vice president of renewable programs and strategy, said that anti-tampering features on many of the company’s meters would not recognize any excess electricity that unregistered panels might feed back onto the grid. Belden’s testimony raised the possibility that customers could be charged for additional power they produce, even if they were generating it with the plug-in solar systems. Eversource later said it is not aware of any customers who have sought permission to use plug-in solar devices.
Utilities and regulators, however, face a key distinction between homes using traditional rooftop solar and the meter systems in other settings. AP reported that homes with rooftop solar panels are typically equipped with bidirectional meters that can overcome the excess-power problem described in Belden’s testimony. The company’s rollout of newer “advanced” meter technology has faced delays linked to regulatory disputes, according to AP, which reported that United Illuminating did not weigh in on the plug-in solar provisions and did not respond to a request for comment.
To address safety concerns, the bill would require that plug-in solar devices conform to Connecticut’s building code and undergo testing and certification by a national product safety group, such as UL Solutions. The AP account reported that while a certification process for plug-in solar began in January, the company had not yet approved systems for the U.S. market at the time of publication.
Behind much of the interest in plug-in solar is the availability of devices sold online, with AP reporting prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. AP also highlighted a California nonprofit, Bright Saver, which began shipping limited numbers of small solar systems last year. The organization said it halted an initial pilot after utility pushback and currently ships only to existing solar customers in California that it described as outside the devices’ “regulatory gray area,” while planning to resume shipping its smaller kits to states that have authorized their use.
Bright Saver cofounder Cora Stryker said the group was “just trying to knock down the barriers,” adding that it wants to ensure customers can “be safe and installing certified systems.” State Rep. John Piscopo, R-Thomaston, said he was “intrigued by the plug-in solar” and indicated that if it were a standalone bill, lawmakers could examine its ramifications and “maybe take our first steps” toward implementation.
At the same time, legislative leaders said the sudden buzz around plug-in solar has prompted urgency to understand the technology’s implications. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport and co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, said there is “a general consensus that this is becoming popular,” but lawmakers are “not all convinced the safety standards are being met.” AP reported that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Office of Consumer Counsel, and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority met with lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss the legislation, and Steinberg said agencies are calling for further analysis before the door is opened.
As a possible alternative to immediate passage, Steinberg said lawmakers could authorize a legislative study that would effectively delay action for at least a year. For now, he said, there remains hope of working out details before the session adjourns in early May, adding: “We want to be able to do this, we really do,” but “we’re not sure we’re there yet.”