The Plug and Play Solar Act, which passed on a 35-1 vote, would allow portable solar generation devices with up to 1,200 W of output to connect to a building through a standard outlet. The bill now moves to the state Assembly, which has until August 31 to pass it during the current session.
May 22, 2026
From pv magazine USA
The California Senate has passed SB 868, also known as “The Plug And Play Solar Act.” The bill establishes a definition of and rules for “portable solar generation device(s),” which generate power from solar panels connected to a home’s writing using a standard 120 V outlet, via a small inverter with up to 1,200 W of AC output.
Such devices, commonly referred to as “balcony solar panels” or “plug-in photovoltaics” (PIPV), would be exempted from rules that require the owner to pay a fee and obtain permission from the utility company to interconnect home solar panels.
