I am getting ready to make the seasonal move from my Florida home to my northern getaway in Connecticut. The simple, older modular home sits on land that is bordered by a soothing meandering brook and pristine state forest. Unlike my fully electric southern condo, the Connecticut digs are in a community that is largely dependent on propane. I’ve been trying to make my energy usage there cleaner but am hampered by the 30 amp limitation. There is also the financial backdrop that my stay is generally no more than ten weeks, so how can I bring in renewables in a financially reasonable way? I think I’ve found an answer. Both houses of the Connecticut legislature have approved plug-in solar!
The legislation cleared the state Senate on the final day of the 2026 legislative session. The bill is on Governor Ned Lamont’s desk, ready to be signed.
I wish I could run out and buy what the state of CT is calling “portable solar.” However, the portable solar provision of the expected law isn’t scheduled to take effect until October 1, 2026. It will be good for consumers when it lands, though, for sure.
Why is Plug-In Solar so Exciting?
Most US consumers really want to go solar, but obstacles are in place that prevent us from doing so. Here in the US, balcony solar has faced two significant hurdles.
One is the absence of state-based enabling legislation for devices that inject electricity into a household system without the need for authorization from their utility company. Utilities have generally treated a simple plug-and-play solar panel like a full scale rooftop solar installation, requiring costly connection agreements and fees. The other obstacle involves property owner restrictions on tenants and homeowner association restrictions on members. Those obstacles have meant that traditional rooftop solar just hasn’t been an option for renters, apartment dwellers, low-income families, and anyone whose roof is too shady, too old, or too expensive to replace.
Life is a series of constant changes, and small-scale solar capacity is growing every year. Connecticut’s HB 5340 moves Connecticut into a rarified group: it will be only the sixth state to send a plug-in solar bill to the governor for final approval. Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Virginia, and Utah are the other states that are making it easier for consumers to add new types of solar to their energy repertoire.
Plug-in solar consists of modular, portable solar panels designed to be hung from a railing, such as a balcony or fence. They plug into an ordinary household electrical socket (though an assessment by a licensed electrician may be advised). Once plugged in, the solar panels integrate with household wiring to offset electricity demand from the grid. Because they produce minimal, if any, energy exported to the grid during normal use, they are often exempted from interconnection agreements with utilities. They can simply be unplugged and carried along to the next home as needed.
Chris Phelps, state director of Environment Connecticut, offered testimony before the Connecticut General Assembly Energy and Technology Committee in March in support of plug-in solar.
“Portable plug-in solar systems give anyone who wants to go solar a simple, affordable, and quick opportunity to do so. Plug-in solar systems meet the needs of those who don’t want to, or cannot, install traditional larger residential solar systems. Plug-in solar systems might be as small as a few hundred watts or as large as 1,200 watts. They are intended to help offset a portion, but typically not all, of the electric demand of a residence.”
The bill will allow all utility customers to use portable solar devices with 1,200 watts of output or less, provided the devices meet the state’s building and fire codes, comply with the national Electrical Code, and are certified by Underwriter’s Laboratory or another nationally-recognized testing lab.
Phelps urged the committee to allow language so that consumers could install more than one plug-in system as long as their aggregate capacity was no greater than 1,200 watts. He suggested that this would allow a consumer the flexibility to install a 400 watt system and later add up to another 800 watts if they chose to do so, while remaining under the 1,200 aggregate capacity limit for plug-in solar appliances.
Other Language in the Connecticut Solar Bill
The Connecticut bill prohibits utilities from charging portable solar users fees: utilities will not be able to require consumers to enter into interconnection agreements. Additionally, state building and fire code authorities will need to examine whether changes must be made to state regulations in order to allow for implementation of the new rules.
Connecticut House Bill 5340 contains many additional energy provisions that extend and create solar programs and establish new rules regarding their use. Key provisions include:
- an extension of the state’s residential and non-residential Renewable Energy Solutions tariff programs, which define compensation to solar owners for energy exported to the local electric grid over 20-year terms through December 31, 2035;
- the establishment of new programs for low-income community solar;
- the introduction of residential energy storage incentives;
- increased requirements for annual procurement of renewable energy capacity by the state’s eclectic utilities;
- new directives for municipalities to allow automated instant solar permitting for residential installations;
- implementations of a smart solar permitting platform, such as SolarAPP+, to automate the review and issuance of building permits for residential systems by the Commissioner of Administrative Services; and,
- instructions for state departments of energy and environmental protection and agriculture to study the feasibility of an incentive program for agrivoltaics.
For Connecticut, it took months of hearings, committee arguments, closed-door talks, and redrafts of legislation to direct development of residential, agricultural, and corporate solar power. The span of the bill is for the next nine years.
Starting in 2028, the programs will be subject to an aggregate target of 180 megawatts per year and an $85 million annual budget cap. However, the bill exempts residential photovoltaic systems paired with energy storage from these caps, provided the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) determines the combined systems offer a net benefit to all ratepayers.
The bill modernizes Connecticut’s renewable programs so clean energy can continue lowering bills, improving system reliability, and expanding consumer protection, says state representative Jamie Foster, a co-sponsor of the bill.
“Connecticut’s energy demand continues to rise, and families are feeling the strain of higher utility bills. As the state adds more renewable energy, programs must be designed to lower costs, support households with the greatest energy burdens, reduce administrative hurdles, and ensure consistent safety standards across the energy system.”
Final Thoughts
Certainly, there is a lot to learn for us who haven’t previously owned solar systems as we begin to familiarize ourselves with plug-in solar. But it will be a wonderful new experience, for sure, to gain more energy independence, even on the smallest of scales.
After all, that’s how I entered the electric vehicle world — with a short range Nissan Leaf. Now I am co-owner of two fairly long range EVs (here and here), and I wouldn’t think to return to an internal combustion engine.
Starting small makes sense as an introduction to a whole new world of clean energy.
Resources
- “An act concerning renewable power generation.” Connecticut General Assembly. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- “Connecticut Legislature passes solar bill to extend incentives, streamline permitting, authorize plug-in solar and more.” Ben Zientara. May 11, 2026.
- “Connecticut solar bill heads to Lamont after session-finale Senate vote.” Ken Dixon. CT Insider. May 6, 2026.
- “Testimony of Chris Phelps, state director, Environment Connecticut, before the Connecticut General Assembly Energy and Technology Committee.” Environment Connecticut.