Plug-in (or "balcony") solar panels can also be hung out a window or be set up in a backyard, [1]reports NPR . They channel energy from the sun straight into a home's electrical outlet, generating enough electricity to power a refrigerator or microwave while "displacing electricity that otherwise would come in from the grid..."

But what's holding up their adoption in America?

> For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too. Those agreements, along with permitting and other installation costs, [2]can double the price of solar panels. [3]Utah enacted the first law , last May, supporting plug-in solar, and now some [4]30 pieces of similar legislation have been introduced around the United States. [And Virginia seems poised to pass [5]a similar law .]

>

> But the drive toward plug-in solar is facing pushback from electric utilities. They are raising safety concerns and prompting legislators to delay votes on the bills. So far, utilities have won over lawmakers in five states and convinced them to delay votes on plug-in solar bills... Plug-in solar advocates say that safety concerns about the new technology have been addressed and that utilities are really just worried about losing business, because every kilowatt-hour generated by a plug-in solar panel is one less the utility sells to a customer... There are safety risks with any electrical appliance, and it's true that plug-in solar panels present some unique problems. But safety experts also say those issues can be managed....

>

> German utilities expressed many of the same concerns nearly a decade ago when plug-in solar started to become popular in Germany. But with [6]more than a million systems installed , no safety incidents have been reported for customers who used the panels as instructed, according to [7]a research paper funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.



[1] https://www.npr.org/2026/03/12/nx-s1-5737287/solar-panels-utilities-energy-saving

[2] https://docs.nlr.gov/docs/fy23osti/87303.pdf

[3] https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0340.html

[4] https://www.brightsaver.org/publicly-filed-states

[5] https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB250

[6] https://www.energiemagazin.com/balkonkraftwerk-testsieger/

[7] https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/2132#Funding:~:text=The%20most%20successful%20examples%20of%20plug-in%20DER%20adoption%20have%20been%20seen%20in%20European%20markets.%20By%20the%20end%20of%202024%2C%20over%201%20million%20units%20had%20been%20sold%20in%20Germany%20%5B14%2C15%5D%2C%20with%20no%20safety%20incidents%20reported%2C%20aside%20from%20cases%20of%20tampering.