Faced with rising electricity prices, Americans are stealthily adding DIY solar systems. And they aren’t telling utilities

Agnes Chan is part of a stealth solar revolution bubbling up in the US. The retired teacher has a tiny solar system propped up in her backyard in Berkeley, California, and plugged into a regular outlet. It cost around $2,000, shaves about $50 off her monthly bills, and she’s evangelical about it. “I have already recommended it many times,” she said.

Originally, Chan had wanted a full rooftop solar system, but the $20,000-plus price tag was unaffordable. Plug-in solar offered a cheaper, portable and more flexible option: It was incredibly easy to set up, would help keep her 100-year-old house toasty this winter and would pay for itself in three years.

Chan is one of a growing number of Americans turning to plug-in solar — also called “balcony solar” as it’s often slung over balconies — to help bring down soaring energy bills. Even as the Trump administration seeks to squash renewable energy, the interest is spurring action in nearly 30 states that are now considering legislation to make these cheap, small systems more accessible.

There are hurdles, however. Plug-in solar currently exists in a legal “gray area,” said Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, a non-profit that advocates for balcony solar. Almost every state requires an agreement with the local utility company, a process that can take months and add costs.

That’s why people are going stealth and hooking up “guerilla solar” systems without telling their utility, Stryker said.

The beauty of plug-in solar is its simplicity: People pick up cheap, small solar panels, hang them almost anywhere without the need for an electrician, plug them into a regular outlet and start generating electricity — it’s essentially a DIY power plant. The only bit of special kit required is a microinverter, which allows the energy generated from the sun to feed directly into household electricity.

Germany is the pioneer, with 1.23 million balcony systems installed, according to the country’s Federal Network Agency. The real number may be as high as 4 million, as many systems are believed to be unregistered, according to a 2025 report from Solar Power Europe.

Regulations in that country have facilitated the boom, including by effectively preventing landlords blocking tenants from installing balcony solar. For Germans, it’s as easy as popping into Ikea to buy a panel, with prices starting at around $235. Data suggests plug-in solar can cut energy bills by 10% to 20%.

When Utah Republican State Representative Ray Ward first came across news articles about what was happening in Germany, it got his brain whirring. The more he read, the more it appealed. “You’re like, oh my gosh, this is so simple compared to what we’re doing and then it makes you wonder why you can’t have that here.”

So, he did something no other state had done. He sponsored a bill to allow small plug-in systems to be used by Utah residents without needing agreements with utility companies.

“People always want to tell you: ‘well that’s just impossible, that’s dangerous, you’d better not do that it will burn the building down’,” Ward said. He just pointed to Germany’s yearslong record, and told them: “It hasn’t burnt down.”

Ward’s arguments worked; the bill passed last year. What was astonishing was that it passed unanimously, said Jennifer Eden, a senior associate at the non-profit Utah Clean Energy. “The amount of buzz and interest it has created is fairly remarkable.”

The appeal of balcony solar is clear for those on the left, who want clean energy, and for those on the right, who want to meet their needs without government interference, Stryker said. “It’s almost a choose your own adventure of what narrative will appeal to your constituency,” she added.

Concerns about rising oil and gas prices due to conflict in the Middle East, may add another reason for both sides of the aisle to be interested.

Utah’s move has set off a legislative wave. At least 28 states, including Washington, California, Oklahoma and South Carolina, have draft bills in the works that would smooth the way to a much broader uptake.

But utility agreements are not the only hurdle. Another key issue is safety standards. While the constituent parts of plug-in solar — the panels and the microinverter — are certified for safety, there isn’t a certification for the system as a whole.

Concerns include the risk of overloading home circuits, causing wires to overheat and catch fire, and potential shock hazards for utility workers if devices unexpectedly export power to the grid. Germany has introduced measures to mitigate these risks, but the market is much newer in the US, which also operates a different electrical system.

Some utilities and trade groups have opposed draft bills. In Washington, Puget Sound Energy and the Association of Washington Business both testified against the state’s draft plug-in solar bill, citing safety concerns. There is a lack of “clear product safety certification for how these devices perform in real apartment buildings,” said AWB’s government affairs director Peter Godlewski.

But neither organization said they were opposed in principle to balcony solar. “If we’re able to address these issues, we could get to supporting the bill,” said a spokesperson for Puget Sound Energy.

Each safety risk “can be mitigated with engineered solutions, but products with those safety mitigations will differ from those presently on the market,” said Ken Boyce a vice president at UL Solutions, a company that develops safety standards. In January, UL Solutions released a certification framework for plug-in solar.

Advocates hope final safety standards won’t add extra costs to those wanting plug in solar, for example by requiring professional installation.

“I am not trying to say we just don’t need a safety standard … but it’s not an electrically complicated product,” Ward said. He believes opposition lies in unfamiliarity with these tiny systems, which are very different to more complex rooftop solar systems.

There aren’t official statistics on how many US households have balcony solar, but there is evidence of their popularity. Texas-based company CraftStrom sells plug-in solar in all 50 states and sold 1,200 units last year. It advises customers to notify their utility but, as their kits don’t export any power to the grid, interconnection agreements typically aren’t needed, said Stephan Scherer, a company founder.

Balcony solar will only ever cover a fraction of American’s energy needs; these systems are small — that’s their whole point. But Stryker believes they can both tackle soaring bills and show people the benefits of renewable energy. “It is real gateway to clean energy awareness,” she said.

As proponents wait for regulations to catch up, they say the numbers of early adopters like Chan will continue grow. “There are people who are savvy and adventurous, who are going to figure out ways to make this work,” said Utah Clean Energy’s Eden.

Ward thinks the clamor for balcony solar will only get louder. “It’s so easy to understand and people know they want it,” Ward said. “People are saying well why can’t I have this?”