California just made it legal to turn balconies into tiny power plants

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill letting California residents install plug-in balcony solar panels without first negotiating an interconnection agreement with utilities like PG&E, a requirement state Senator Scott Wiener called the main barrier to adoption. The devices are smaller and cheaper than rooftop systems, cost a few hundred dollars, and can pay for themselves in energy savings in around four years.

California joins a handful of states, including Utah and Maine, in permitting the technology, which is already common in Germany. Advocates at the bill signing framed it as both a cost-saving measure and a climate tool, with one nonprofit executive calling it ‘a twofer.’

Because the systems draw less power from the grid rather than feeding electricity back into it, they could ease strain during peak demand, such as heat waves, though experts note the gains are modest compared with full rooftop solar.

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