#Solar #PluginSolar #Utilities
From NPR.org: Utilities are raising concerns about plug-in solar panels
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/12/nx-s1-5737287/solar-panels-utilities-energy-saving
#plugInSolar
I simultaneously like and don’t like this chart.
It shows that my system produces more electric power that it can currently consume - in the beginning of March.
It also shows that I could be even more self sufficient if my system was better optimized.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@iamlayer8/115208626947170109
So it looks like the #AnkerSolarBank3 can only use about 6 #SmartPlug|s in smart plug mode. That drastically limits my ability to consume my solar power production directly. Last night my battery was already only down to 50%.
This is due to bad documentation and the missing ability to invert the signal from the #SmartMeter in the system configuration.
Weekly output: teens + AI chatbots, Android updates, Trump on data-center energy use, Archer + Starlink, balcony solar, customer feedback, CDA 230 + AI, Bluetooth updates
BARCELONA–It’s a treat to be able to start off a post with this dateline. This is the 13th trip that’s afforded me that opportunity and the 12th involving MWC. But this trip isn’t like the ones before it in one way; on my way across the Atlantic, my country started a war of choice because the president felt like it. The world is better without Iran’s worthless, murdering theocrat Ali Khameni, but I have little confidence in the Trump administration’s ability to do the right things for that long-suffering country.
In addition to the links you see below, Patreon readers got a bonus post from me in which I shared lessons learned from more than 10 years of booking Airbnbs.
2/24/2026: Most Teens Use AI for Homework Help. 10% Let It Do Everything, PCMag
Getting an advance copy of this new study from the Pew Research Center gave me a chance to note a new student-understudy chatbot called Einstein and quiz the CEO behind that app.
2/25/2026: Android Update Puts Gemini AI In the Driver’s Seat for Ride-Hail, Food Orders, PCMag
I have somehow become PCMag’s Android-updates guy. This report included a little testimony about Google’s call-scam-detection feature misfiring for me, an important bit of context to include in a post telling readers about Google bringing that tool to Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 series of phones.
2/25/2026: As Energy Costs Soar, Trump Pushes AI Giants to ‘Produce Their Own Electricity’, PCMag
I didn’t watch the entire State of the Union address because self-care is an important thing, but after reading about President Trump’s call for data-center operators to pay for their electricity and power infrastructure, I knew I’d have to write about that initiative.
2/27/2028: Archer Aviation Taps Starlink for Air Taxi Connectivity, PCMag
I still don’t quite get the point of adding Starlink connectivity to aircraft that won’t fly longer than 15 minutes or higher than 4,000 feet above major cities, but this was an easy post to crank out Friday morning before heading to Dulles that afternoon to start my journey to Spain.
2/28/2026: After Years of Shining in Europe, Balcony Solar Comes Out of the Dark in the US, PCMag
This story had been in the works for literally months–I took the photo you see at the top of the piece on the afternoon that I arrived in Berlin for IFA in September–but the policy picture has also changed dramatically, and for the better, over the intervening months.
2/28/2026: What’s the Best Way to Get Customer Feedback in 2026? Hint: It’s Not Email, PCMag
Two weeks after the customer-experience firm Medallia had me at its annual conference in Vegas (with my hotel covered upfront and my airfare to be reimbursed), PCMag ran my recap of what I learned there.
3/1/2026: Online Platforms Are Not Liable for What Users Post. Should That Include Gen AI?, PCMag
I spent Thursday at the Cato Institute for this enlightening conference marking the 30th anniversary of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 act that bars you from suing an online platform for something that one of its users posted.
3/1/2026: Bluetooth Is Getting an Upgrade. Here’s What It Means for Your Devices, PCMag
I took almost all of the notes for this at CES in January, but I needed more time to confirm some details and then write the post, after which its lack of a news peg left it easy to set aside for a bit.
#AIChatbots #android #ArcherAviation #balconySolar #Barcelona #Bluetooth #Catalunya #CatoInstitute #CDA230 #ces #customerExperience #customerSatisfaction #cx #dataCenters #eVTOL #GeminiAI #IFA #LasVegas #Medallia #MWC #PewResearchCenter #plugInSolar #PresidentTrump #RatepayerProtectionPledge #SOTU #Spain #Starlink #StateOfTheUnion #travel #TrumpEnergyPolicy #Vegas
#NewEngland Lawmakers Weigh #PlugInSolar as Europe’s Model Spreads
Legislation in #Maine, #Vermont, #NewHampshire, #Massachusetts and #RhodeIsland would allow small solar panels to plug directly into home outlets, expanding access to clean energy.
By Ryan Krugman
February 18, 2026
"The solar panels that hang from balconies across Europe may soon be coming to New England, helping lower energy costs and ease grid demand.
This could be a breakout year for plug-in solar in the United States, with more than two dozen states considering legislation this session, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The small-scale systems are seen as a way to expand access to renewable energy, particularly for renters and apartment dwellers, but first require legislative approval.
" 'For many of my neighbors, especially renters, solar panels can feel like they’re meant for someone else,' said state Sen. Nicole Grohoski, a Democrat and sponsor of Maine’s plug-in solar bill, LD 1730. 'It’s about giving someone in a third-floor apartment the same chance to lower their electricity bill as a homeowner with a south-facing roof.' "
Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18022026/new-england-plug-in-solar-legislation/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/5znfp
In the last 5 months my 2.000 W peak #PluginSolar system produced 300 kWh. This equals - conservatively - 2.000 km with my electric car. And this is the bad half of the year. Over the coming months I will produce a lot more electricity and have a longer range. I now expect that I will at least cover my electricity needs for driving my car.
Yesterday night I checked. Some of the links in the brightsaver. list were broken.
Those I could open give to types of bills:
Ones that only deal with the electrical part, eg. HOUSE BILL NO. 289 in the General Assembly of Virginia https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083419.PDF
Some of the language in the #Virigna Bill might be misleading, it says: "(iii) is not designed to be interconnected with the electric grid" but of course every #pluginsolar device is ultimately connected to the wider grid. - I send the legislators sponsoring an email. Maybe they explain.
Other bills have funny upper limits such as SENATE BILL 157 in New Mexico: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0157.pdf
1920 Watt? WE also contacted the sponsors of the legislation and ask how they came to that number.
the most comprehensive bill seems to be the one in Washington State: SB 6050/HB 2296 https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=6050&Chamber=Senate&Year=2025 that seems to deal not only with electric interconnection but also some of the related planning and zoning issues.
However there seem to be some strange amendments made: "Authorizes an electric utility with fewer than 25,000 customers to prohibit portable solar generation devices."
And there also meter mounted device, where we don't understand what they are.
US nonprofit “brightsaver” has published a list of 25 states in which legislators that have announced #PlugInSolar Bills: https://www.brightsaver.org/publicly-filed-states?_hsmi=402137738
Keep in min in American English "bill" means proposed legislation: Bill ➡️ vote ➡️ law.
The Clean Energy States Alliance has published a report on “What States Need to Know about #PlugInSolar”.
The report is summary about #balconysolar from an #American perspective.
Although we think the German prices are calculated a little bit to high, because we think you can have installation cost as low as 0,28 EUR/Wp, its a good overview.
It also contains a cost return calculator for #solar on the balcony for #US Consumers.
Amongst other the report also mentions #CPAP machines as good examples for #emergencypower use, higlighting the systems ability to provide #electrictiy even during #grid failure, if you have battery!
https://balkon.solar/news/2026/01/10/us-plug-in-solar-cost-recovery-calculator/
Here is my #solar energy production for 2025 since I’ve installed the #PluginSolar system in mid September.
#solar #PlugInSolar #l8goessolarelectric #Steckersolar #balkonsolar
Meanwhile trump's bombing for oil
youtu.be/yVO9GcNlkLQ?...
#PlugInSolar
Small plug-in solar panels gai...
#Pluginsolar on balconies, canopies and garages are an unspectacular normality in many places in #Germany – as seen here in #Lörrach!
#thisbutforeveryone: Read how the new German #pluginPV Norm affects #pluginsolar: https://balkon.solar/news/2025/11/22/what-does-the-new-german-plug-in-pv-norm-say/
Are you already reading the new german #pluginpv norm?
So you don’t speak any german? No Problem, we made an english summary!
https://balkon.solar/news/2025/11/22/what-does-the-new-german-plug-in-pv-norm-say/
Go #Vermont! A #righttoplugin is the best way to ensure that cheap and simple self-produced electricity via #pluginsolar is available to everyone!
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/849939151/vermont-announces-campaign-to-open-up-plug-in-portable-solar-to-every-household
#Vermont, #NewYork, #Pennsylvania, #NewHampshire and #Maryland have #pluginsolar bills in the 2026 legislative sessions says #brightsaver.
Plug-in "balcony" solar takes off in US? 🌞
12 states in talks +
Bill being introduced in PA +
NH and VT working on laws +
UT (yes!) has passed law allowing it
Small systems plug into reg elec outlet, make small amt of pwr.
Current cost = $2k, with payback of 5 years.
#solar #pluginsolar #cleanenergy #climatehope #climatechange #CheapCleanEnergy #SunDay
"Plug-in solar bills are in the works in New Hampshire and Vermont"
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/vermont-new-hampshire-plug-in-balcony-legislation
Because a Website Reseller Spam Email reminded us, that we own https://pluginpv.org I made this page to redirect to our english language information about #pluginsolar!
Solar panels that fit on your balcony or deck are gaining traction in the US
By ISABELLA O’MALLEY
Updated 1:04 PM EDT, August 15, 2025
"When Terrence Dwyer received a knock on his door and a flyer for a solar panel system small enough to fit on his deck, he was quickly sold. Solar systems that plug into regular wall outlets have been popular in Europe for years and are gaining traction in the U.S. for their affordability and simple installation.
" 'We thought absolutely, let’s do this right away,' said Dwyer, who lives in Oakland, California.
"These small-scale solar systems could become attractive to more homeowners now that President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package will scrap residential rooftop solar tax credits and may shift interest to cheaper alternatives. Even before the GOP bill passed, manufacturers of the smaller systems known as plug-in or balcony solar were seeing increased demand and other positive signs such as a new Utah law streamlining regulations for homeowners to buy and install them. The systems about the size of a door haven’t been as widely adopted in the U.S. as in Europe because of lack of awareness, patchwork utility rules and limited availability.
"The $2,000 plug-in solar system installed on Dwyer’s backyard deck in March consists of two 400 watt panels, an inverter, a smart meter and a circuit breaker. It saves him around $35 per month on his power bill because he is consuming less energy from the grid, but he said reducing his carbon footprint was his primary motivation."
And Claire Brown asks in the New York Times: “Small, #pluginsolar power systems have become popular in Germany and several other countries. So why haven’t they taken off in the United States? (…) Underwriters Laboratories has not issued a specific safety standard”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/climate/balcony-solar-united-states.html
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