Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them

## Summary
For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too. So far, utilities have won over lawmakers in five states and convinced them to delay votes on plug-in solar bills. "The safety of our linemen and others that work on that system is a reason that we oppose House Bill 1304," said Emily Pateuk, a lobbyist with Georgia Electric Membership Corp., which represents cooperative utilities. Plug-in solar safety Plug-in solar advocates say that safety concerns about the new technology have been addressed and that utilities are really just worried about losing business, because every kilowatt-hour generated by a plug-in solar panel is one less the utility sells to a customer. "They don't want anyone messing with their business model," Stryker says. "Kicking up dust regarding safety concerns is definitely a strategy that is being used by people who don't want this for their own self-interested reasons." NPR asked utilities mentioned in this story, as well as their trade groups, to comment on Stryker's "kicking up dust" allegation, but they did not respond beyond saying that safety and reliability are their primary concerns with plug-in solar. Lineworker safety during outages Another issue — the primary concern that utilities have raised with lawmakers — is that during an outage, a panel could continue generating electricity and send the power through a home's wiring and back out to the grid, where it could endanger a lineworker. "There are ways, from a technological standpoint, to mitigate those potential hazards for utility workers," Boyce says.

## Article Content
Climate
Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them
March 12, 2026
5:30 AM ET
Jeff Brady
Bhavin Misra and his son, Rumi, attach a solar panel while assembling a plug-in solar kit at their home in Houston.
David J. Phillip/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
David J. Phillip/AP
Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as
Americans are worried
about rising energy costs. That's because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner's or renter's utility bill right away.
"A year ago, nobody was talking about this," says Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, a California nonprofit group that advocates for plug-in solar. The panels are already popular in Germany, where
more than 1.2 million
of the small plug-in systems are registered with the German government.
For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too. Those agreements, along with permitting and other installation costs,
can double the price
of solar panels.
Climate
Tax credits for solar panels are available, but the catch is you can't own them
Utah enacted the first law
, last May, supporting plug-in solar, and now some
30 pieces of similar legislation
have been introduced around the United States. But the drive toward plug-in solar is facing pushback from electric utilities. They are raising safety concerns and prompting legislators to delay votes on the bills. So far, utilities have won over lawmakers in five states and convinced them to delay votes on plug-in solar bills.
"The safety of our linemen and others that work on that system is a reason that we oppose House Bill 1304," said Emily Pateuk, a lobbyist with Georgia Electric Membership Corp., which represents cooperative utilities. After her comments at a
legislative hearing in Georgia
last month, the committee chairman declined to hold a vote on the bill until safety questions could be addressed.
Similar bills have been delayed in Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming.
Plug-in solar safety
Plug-in solar advocates say that safety concerns about the new technology have been addressed and that utilities are really just worried about losing business, because every kilowatt-hour generated by a plug-in solar panel is one less the utility sells to a customer.
"They don't want anyone messing with their business model," Stryker says. "Kicking up dust regarding safety concerns is definitely a strategy that is being used by people who don't want this for their own self-interested reasons."
NPR asked utilities mentioned in this story, as well as their trade groups, to comment on Stryker's "kicking up dust" allegation, but they did not respond beyond saying that safety and reliability are their primary concerns with plug-in solar.
Stryker also cites climate change as a reason for her solar advocacy.
Most electricity in the U.S. is still
generated by climate-warming fossil fuels, but solar panels generate power without emitting greenhouse gases.
While the new portable solar panels don't usually deliver enough electricity to power an entire house, they do offer a new source of competition to utilities.
There are safety risks with any electrical appliance, and it's true that plug-in solar panels present some unique problems. But safety experts also say those issues can be managed.
Craig Keenan installs a plug-in solar panel on his back steps last August in Baltimore.
KT Kanazawich/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
KT Kanazawich/AP
Traditional solar panel systems, which can
cost more than $20,000
, are bolted to a homeowner's roof. As a result, they're usually not a safety concern for the public because they're not easily accessible. Plug-in panels
cost much less
and generate enough electricity to power a
refrigerator or microwave
.
They can sit on a balcony, hang out a window or be set up in a backyard. They collect energy from the sun and then feed electricity into a home through a regular outlet, displacing electricity that otherwise would come in from the grid. That makes them easier to install but also more easily accessible to people who aren't used to being around appliances that generate electricity, where the plug can present more of a shock hazard.
Climate
2025 saw relatively fewer natural disasters. Will you get a break on home insurance?
"When you think about an appliance — your toaster, for example — when you unplug it, the appliance is entirely disconnected from the electrical supply," says Ken Boyce, vice president of engineering at
UL Solutions
(formerly Underwriters Laboratories), which develops safety standards for products. Plug-in solar generates electricity rather than consumes it. So Boyce says the blades on the end of the plug could shock someone.
That's among the

---

## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- As a result, they're usually not a safety concern for the public because they're not easily accessible.
- Lineworker safety during outages Another issue — the primary concern that utilities have raised with lawmakers — is that during an outage, a panel could continue generating electricity and send the power through a home's wiring and back out to the grid, where it could endanger a lineworker. "There are ways, from a technological standpoint, to mitigate those potential hazards for utility workers," Boyce says.
- But as utilities talk with lawmakers around the country, they continue to highlight concern for lineworkers as a reason to delay new legislation. "This bill does present a lot of safety concerns to the utilities," Nathan Nicholas, an attorney representing utility company Rocky Mountain Power, told Wyoming lawmakers at a February hearing .

### Implications
- For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too.
- Climate Tax credits for solar panels are available, but the catch is you can't own them Utah enacted the first law , last May, supporting plug-in solar, and now some 30 pieces of similar legislation have been introduced around the United States.
- After her comments at a legislative hearing in Georgia last month, the committee chairman declined to hold a vote on the bill until safety questions could be addressed.
- Stryker also cites climate change as a reason for her solar advocacy.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers solar, plug, safety topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1435.