Californians can now transform balconies into power generators

Californians can now plug solar panels right into their walls: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Sept. 30 legalizing plug-in solar technology, allowing residents to place solar panels on their balconies or anywhere else within reach of an outlet, and turn their homes into “tiny power plants,” Matt Simon writes for Grist. While plug-in solar panels collect less energy than rooftop panels, they are cheaper and less complicated to install than the rooftop technology.

“[Balcony solar panels offset] some of a residence’s energy use, saving users hundreds of dollars a year, and opens up solar energy to renters with balconies or backyards. As a bonus, the less power homes have to draw from the grid, the less stress they put on the system, especially during heat waves when everyone is running energy-hungry air conditioners,” Grist reports.

Because plug-in solar reduces the amount of energy drawn from a grid, the technology can also help offset some of the extra demand on the grid from data centers and electrification.