Legislation has been proposed in both Pennsylvania (House Bill 1971) and New York (Senate Bill S8512) to make it much easier for residents to reduce their electricity bills by installing plug in solar systems. Both bills would accomplish this by 1) exempting these systems from the requirement of getting an interconnection agreement with their utility and 2) prohibiting utilities from charging fees for these systems.

What is Plug In Solar?
Plug in solar systems are small systems consisting of 1 or 2 solar panels, with inverters, and a standard electrical plug. They do not require professional installation; just put the panels in a sunny location and plug the system into a standard wall outlet. When the sun is shining, the electricity produced will replace power that would have come from your utility, saving you money. These systems are widely used in Germany and, this year, Utah became the first state to pass legislation allowing their use. Note: plug in solar systems are designed to shut down during a power outage in order to protect utility workers.

Click here for an overview of plug in solar

What Can I Do to Promote Plug In Solar in PA and NY?
If you are interested in reducing your electricity bill and gaining some independence from your utility, contact your state representatives and urge them to support H.B. 1971 in PA or Senate Bill S8512 in NY. The PA bill is currently in the Assembly and the NY bill is currently in the Senate.

Pennsylvania state representatives can be found here and New York state representatives can be found here.

More Information:

Pielli Introduces Plug-In Solar Bill (PA)
Bipartisan Bill Aims to Expand Access to Plug-In Solar Energy in Pennsylvania
Krueger, Gallagher Introduce SUNNY Act (NY)