Plug-in solar panels, which are becoming popular across Europe, live in a regulatory gray area in the United States.
Multiple states are considering legislation that would clarify standards for ‘balcony solar,’ low-cost DIY installations that allow even apartment dwellers to produce their own power.
As Alison F. Takemura explains in Canary Media, Utah is the only U.S. state to explicitly allow the devices, but others are looking into it. “While the systems aren’t illegal, utilities often require users to sign an interconnection agreement before plugging in solar — just as they would for a large rooftop array. And those agreements can require fees and take weeks to months to get.” Utah eliminated the interconnection requirement as long as customers use a solar device that is certified safe.
Now, bills in New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, and Illinois are on track to pass, and a California proposal is in committee. Proposed bills in Missouri, Washington state, and Wyoming have stalled over concerns about safety risks with permissionless systems.
FULL STORY: Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm
Bay Area Embraces ‘Balcony Solar’
Popular in Germany, wall- or balcony-mounted solar panels come at a lower cost and face fewer regulatory hurdles than rooftop solar, but their legal status in California is murky.
California Leads in Solar Rooftops
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Rooftop Solar on Mexico City Market to Power 300 Transit Buses
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The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association