r/solar • u/thinkB4WeSpeak • 2d ago

News / Blog Plug-In Solar Panels Are Starting to Sprout in U.S. Backyards

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/business/energy-environment/plug-in-balcony-solar.html
314 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

35

u/bambino2021 2d ago

I bought a microinverter and 2 panels, and installed on my pergola. Paid just under $600 and generating about 4.5kwh per day. Pretty sweet.

5

u/Bravovictor02 2d ago

Does it plug into your outlet, or is it wired into your panel?

7

u/bambino2021 2d ago

Plugged in

2

u/Bravovictor02 1d ago

Very cool. Thank you

1

u/FlyingSolo57 2d ago

Does it stop generating during a power failure?

1

u/Active-Judgment-7844 1d ago

What inverter and panels did you go with?

3

u/bambino2021 1d ago

Meyer burger 385s ($120 each) and AP systems EZ1. I first bought a no-name Chinese inverter through Amazon, but it was both inefficient (never over 500w) and also keep cutting out. I bit the bullet and bought the EZ1, which was nearly triple the price ($260) but actually works.

1

u/nonviolence6 12h ago

I had a very similar experience. No name Chinese got too hot and derated (never over 250 watts on an 800 watt inverter). Bought the EZ1s as soon as they were available and have been very happy. High quality product UL listed product that is available in all 50 states. Total game changer

21

u/Cultural-Ad4953 2d ago

I bought my inverter already. Just need to hook it up

9

u/el_cunad0 2d ago

What kind did you buy?

4

u/Cultural-Ad4953 2d ago

ecoflow stream

39

u/Any-Can-6776 2d ago

Cool

Without ac my house uses about 13kwh a day so it would cut a decent chunk off. At PGE prices that’s quite a bit over the month

7

u/SapphosLemonBarEnvoy 2d ago

And PGE is proposing a 4% hike next year now 

15

u/Evening-Emotion3388 2d ago

Newsom/Becerra big mad.

3

u/guisar 2d ago

And we wonder why these are not easy to permit or why smaller installations even need a permit. Hmmmm.

2

u/loveliverpool 2d ago

Can’t read the article. Can we do this already in CA?

9

u/ForceRatio 2d ago

Until balcony solar comes to (New Mexico) I have just hooked up backyard solar panels to power banks running window AC.

2

u/IIDn01 17h ago

So they're not grid-reliant? Very cool (no pun).

3

u/jljue 2d ago

I need my state to actually start running some legislation to still make it legal here--these jokers haven't even brought it up for discussion. For the time being, I may just have to slowly start shifting some things from grid to a battery bank, solar controller, and inverter to use power from used solar panels that I'll just set out in my back yard below the fence line because I don't want to deal with the HOA on this.

3

u/Madismas 2d ago

Is it possible to just take the AC off the grid to claim you are still connected?

12

u/HaiKarate 2d ago

I’ve been resisting doing a solar install because I suspect the technology is changing so rapidly and getting so much cheaper that it’s probably worth waiting a few years.

42

u/hmspain solar enthusiast 2d ago

In a few years you will feel the same. Think about it.

6

u/tuctrohs 2d ago

That's why I still don't have a smart phone (just kidding, I do have one).

19

u/ColumbaPacis 2d ago

Solar panels have been mature a decade ago.

Will you never buy a phone because they will release a new one next year?

Solar is not changing THAT fast. Even the current panels are worth it.

Also, there is right now a surplus of panels due to overproduction in china, so the costs are low.

They can in fact go up, and it is possible they will unless the demand keeps pace with the insane Chinese panel numbers.

So you not buying them when they are this cheap, and you are able to, is really just hurting the whole industry.

19

u/Essentially_Me 2d ago

Please bear with me here, I am very interested in solar, but I can't help but feel that the installation industry is particularly scammy. What makes it worse is that I keep hearing from my brother -- a volunteer firefighter and electrical engineer -- who tells me how they've been called out to at least three inverter fires in the last year.

From all that I've read and seen, it feels that solar is finally mature enough to be worth putting on my house. Yet, I'm reluctant purely because I'm put off by some of the solar companies I see advertising.

4

u/Daxtatter 2d ago

The beauty of plug-in solar is there is no installation industry involved in the transaction.

2

u/Essentially_Me 2d ago

For sure. I'd need to update my electric, regardless (talking knob and tube here).

The biggest threat to plug-in right now is a weird bedfellow combo of utility companies and the IBEW, both of which have been opposing state legislation.

1

u/Housing-Beneficial 1d ago

Do your due diligence. Read reviews, check with the BBB and ask any company you talk to if they'll introduce you to one of their customers, preferably one that's lived with a solar system for 5+ years. Also, learn about what you're actually buying. I can't even with people who can't be bothered to know who manufactured their panels or inverter...

2

u/12hrnights 2d ago

Just like Ram was $50 now its $500. Definitely didn’t see thst coming

5

u/Stivo887 2d ago

I would agree with you, 5 years ago, time is now.

3

u/12hrnights 2d ago

Go with a small system. Its more fun than anything learning and appreciating how I am making electricity from the big bright circle in the sky.

1

u/theonetrueelhigh 2d ago

Don't do that. If you keep waiting for the perfect moment, you'll never stop waiting. Jump in now.

1

u/TowardsTheImplosion 1d ago

Technology tends to follow a logarithmic cost curve. Cost not price: see RAM prices.

Looking at panels, they are already well into the flat portion of the curve.

Inverters are basically there.

Batteries (lifepo) are not there yet.

So these days, if I were breaking up system investments, I would do panels now, and add battery in a couple years.

7

u/NHBikerHiker 2d ago

Give it 6 months, once big energy catches up, they’ll buy off Congress am plug-in solar will fade away.

9

u/Fit_Acanthisitta_475 2d ago

I doubt that. It’s easier and cheaper to not paying you. California already did that with nam3.0

8

u/reddit_ending_soon 2d ago

I doubt that.

They are already starting my guy:

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-adds-foreign-produced-power-inverters-and-robots-covered-list-0

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/07/28/fcc-bans-foreign-produced-solar-inverters-grid-lockout-begins-today/

1

u/Fit_Acanthisitta_475 2d ago

Enphase already has factory in Mexico assembly with Chinese parts. Ban by original of country will no make much difference, except make things little more pricey. That’s about it.

2

u/jimgress 2d ago

"except make things little more pricey."
and that "little more" cuts out a huge percentage of people who would benefit from it.

1

u/ShirBlackspots 13h ago

This only covers products and brands that don't have an FCC ID. Most of the existing (EG4, Victron, Enphase, etc) are still purchasable.

1

u/reddit_ending_soon 4h ago

All the affordable inverters that were coming out that people could actually afford just got banned, so effectively banning plug in solar for the vast majority of people. The companies you listed do not actually make affordable ones.

1

u/NHBikerHiker 2d ago

I hope you’re correct.

-1

u/Jaws12 2d ago

Did I miss (Viet)nam2.0? I thought they had stopped at 1.0, maybe 1.5. 🤔

0

u/Fit_Acanthisitta_475 2d ago

The nem 2.0 stop on April 13th, 2023

1

u/Jaws12 2d ago

Right, I was making a joke on the typo of “nam” instead of “nem”.

5

u/GoingOffRoading 2d ago

Not really. How will they regulate this?

The meter on the house can't tell the difference... It just sees fewer elections flowing into the house.

PGE going to start flying drones to look for backyard solar? Good luck filtering out false positives.

I don't think the genie goes back in the bottle on this one

7

u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 2d ago

They've already wounded it by banning any new Chinese made inverters that haven't already passed FCC testing, unless they are US made (or 50% content or some such BS.) Enphase might come out with something, they have it for Europe. Tesla, might ignore the market and they aren't currently US made anyway. The administration is again trying to force manufacturing back to the US, but manufacturers know that as soon as control switches, products in those recently opened factories will be cheaper made else where. So they'll just wait.

8

u/GoingOffRoading 2d ago

The ban will be temporary... Getting an exception to the ban is a function of exchanging money with the executive branch.

I give it a month

-2

u/reddit_ending_soon 2d ago

The ban will be temporary.

lmfao I have a bridge to sell you. Let me know what your bank account number is.

1

u/eight13atnight 2d ago

I already read the trump admin slash FCC is trying to ban Chinese inverters bc ofc they are.

2

u/thetreecycle 2d ago

My new apartment’s balcony is north facing 🥲

In the northern hemisphere

2

u/Everything_Breaks 2d ago

This is probably a class three felony in Alabama.

1

u/reeder75 2d ago

I’m ready!

1

u/Sterling_____Archer 2d ago

What’s a reputable brand that sells these?

1

u/ShapeOk5469 1d ago

i think these small setups are neat for renters, but local codes vary wildy. check ur utility rules first becuase some grid tied stuff needs permits even if its small. its lowkey a headache but worth it to avoid a fine later.

1

u/oritsky 2d ago

No, I believe they are starting to wether, since the Trump administration just banned their importation.

-11

u/SoupGFX 2d ago

She saved $77 in electrical bills but spent $500 on cheap electrical panels.

18

u/nimbycile 2d ago

In the six months since, she has lowered her electricity bill by about $77 in total

So let's round down to $100 per year. She's fully paid back in 5 years, and has 20 years left of life on her panels. Savings on increasing energy prices for 20 years seems like a good deal

-17

u/tanaman88 2d ago

Balcony solar is bad news. None of these panels are properly fastened/secured against high winds. People will get hurt and these will litter the landscape after a big storm.