Utah Becomes First in the US to Open Market for Balcony Solar Panels
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📰 The quick summary: Small plug-in solar panels for balconies are transforming residential clean energy access in Germany, but regulatory barriers and safety standards are preventing their adoption in the US.
📈 One key stat: Germans had registered more than 780,000 balcony solar devices with the country’s utility regulator as of December, with millions more installed without registration, showing the massive potential for this simple clean energy solution.
💬 One key quote: “You look over there and say, ‘Well, that’s working.’ So what is it that stops us from having it here?” said Raymond Ward, a Republican state representative in Utah who wants to see the technology adopted in the US.
1️⃣ The big picture: Balcony solar panels offer a simple plug-and-play solution for generating clean electricity at home – you just hang one or two panels over a railing and plug them into an outlet to power small appliances. While this technology has taken off in Germany with nearly a million registered installations, the US market remains closed due to regulatory barriers. The main obstacles include the lack of essential safety certifications and standards from bodies like Underwriters Laboratories, as well as technical challenges around circuit breakers and voltage mismatches between the US and German electrical systems.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Progress is starting to happen in the US, with Utah becoming the first state to pass legislation supporting balcony solar by exempting portable solar devices from certain utility regulations. Entrepreneurs and research scientists, backed by federal funding, are now working to create the necessary safety standards. The technology’s success in Germany shows it can be implemented safely with proper guidelines. This could eventually give millions of Americans, especially renters, easy access to generating their own clean electricity.
3️⃣ What’s next: Key technical and regulatory hurdles need to be overcome before balcony solar can take off in the US. This includes developing compatible ground fault circuit interrupters for American outlets, getting Underwriters Laboratories certification, and amending the National Electrical Code to allow plug-in energy systems. Advocates continue pushing for these changes through working groups and regulatory proposals.
Read the full story here: Grist – Balcony solar took off in Germany. Why not the US?
