MCLI Model Law - Balcony or Plug-in Solar

Small-scale distributed solar-powered generation has a variety of benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas and other air pollutant emissions, increased electricity reliability, and decreased electricity bills. Traditional residential solar, however, can require relatively complicated installation and may have upfront costs that are infeasible for low- and moderate-income households. Moreover, traditional rooftop or ground-mounted solar may not be available to all household types, including occupants of apartment buildings, renters who do not own the building in which they reside, and others that may lack access or sufficient physical space. “Plug-in solar” - also commonly referred to as "balcony solar" or "portable solar generation" - has the potential to offer similar benefits for affordability, reliability, and emission reductions, but without these barriers and limitations. Such systems are generally small photovoltaic systems designed to connect directly into a standard electrical outlet. These systems allow households to generate a modest amount of electricity for on-site consumption, offsetting some electricity that would otherwise come from the grid, without requiring complex installation. The upfront financial cost of “plug-in solar” systems is generally far less than rooftop panels or ground-mounted arrays. Of course, once installed, the electricity generated is free to the consumer. In the United States, plug-in solar adoption has been limited in part by regulatory uncertainty and existing regulatory barriers. For example, interconnection and net-metering frameworks in many states were generally designed for much larger and permanently installed generation systems. This model state-level legislation would remove these barriers. A growing number of states have enacted similar laws to enable and facilitate plug-in solar.