The balcony solar revolution is coming to the United States, but not everyone has been able to benefit. The nearly 35% of Americans who rent could stand to gain the most from solar, but there is a potential barrier in the way: Their landlords.
This week, New Jersey became the tenth state to pass a bill allowing residents to purchase small plug-in solar installations, bypassing longstanding utility permitting laws. But the New Jersey bill went one step further, expanding plug-in solar access for renters by prohibiting landlords and homeowners’ associations from blocking them.
Following similar bills passed in Colorado and Virginia, it’s a move New Jersey lawmakers say will dramatically lower the barrier to entry for renters interested in solar who can’t afford or install expensive rooftop systems.
“At the end of the day, this is a bill for the consumer,” said New Jersey state Sen. John McKeon, a Democrat and the bill’s primary Senate sponsor. “When I count the votes, green is not red nor blue.”
It’s one step to tackle New Jersey’s energy affordability crisis. The Garden State saw a 17% jump in its electricity rates from 2024 to 2025, the biggest of any state (only beaten out by Washington, DC), according to a report from the US Senate Joint Economic Committee.
