Is plug-in solar legal in Pennsylvania? (2026)
Not yet. Pennsylvania has no law allowing plug-in solar, but HB 1971 would create one. Here is where it stands, with the official bill page.
Bill pending
Pennsylvania has no plug-in solar law; HB 1971 (portable solar generation systems) has sat in the House Energy Committee since October 2025.
- Watt cap
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- Permit
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- Interconnection
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- Utility notice
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- Equipment
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- Law
- —
- Signed
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- Effective
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Official sources
- palegis.uswww.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1971
Research notes
Official page confirms title (amends Title 66, 'providing for portable solar generation systems'), prime sponsor Rep. Chris Pielli, and single action (referred to Energy 2025-10-28). Details such as a 1,200W cap, UL 3700 reference, no-interconnection-agreement and net-metering exclusion come from news/co-sponsor-memo summaries and were NOT verified in bill text. No Senate companion confirmed.
“—” means our record has no sourced value · Not legal advice
If you rent
Without a state law, you need two yeses: your landlord’s, and your utility’s. Start with the utility, because a landlord will ask whether it’s allowed. Ask these three questions and get the answers in writing:
- “Do you have an interconnection requirement for a plug-in solar device under 1,200 watts with a UL-listed inverter?”
- “If it never sends power back to the grid, does that change your answer?”
- “Can you send me that in writing, or point me to the tariff section?”
If you get a written answer, send it to hello@mlighthouse.com. We’ll add it to this page with the utility named and you left out.
If you own your home
You have the same utility question as a renter, and one more option: a conventional rooftop or ground-mount system goes through your utility’s standard interconnection process instead. It costs more and takes longer, but the rules are written down.
Where the bill stands
HB 1971
In House Energy Committee; only action is referral on 2025-10-28. Alive in the 2025-2026 session (ends November 30, 2026). Checked 2026-09-20.
palegis.usWhat the pending bill would do
HB 1971 (pending) would cover plug-in systems that send no more than 1,200 watts back to the grid.
“Limited to supplying a maximum power output of not more than 1,200 watts back to the electric utility grid.”
palegis.us ↗The system would have to be certified by UL or an equivalent nationally recognized testing lab.
“Certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory.”
palegis.us ↗Owners would not need an interconnection application or an interconnection agreement.
“shall not be subject to: (1) Requirements to submit an interconnection application or enter into an interconnection agreement with an electric distribution company.”
palegis.us ↗The utility could not require prior approval, inspection, registration or notification. It also could not charge added fees or require extra equipment.
“may not impose any: (1) Requirements for prior approval, inspection, registration or notification from a customer.”
palegis.us ↗These systems would be left out of net metering, and the utility would pay nothing for power they send to the grid.
“Shall not be credited or compensated by the electric distribution company for any energy exported to the grid.”
palegis.us ↗
What Pennsylvania's largest utilities say
What each utility's own tariff or interconnection page says about generation a customer connects on their side of the meter.
PECO Energy
PECO's filed tariff says it must approve any parallel generation through an interconnection agreement before you run it, with no exemption for small or plug-in devices. The page does not mention plug-in or portable solar.
“The Company must approve the installation of parallel generation via an Interconnection Agreement before the customer operates that generation in parallel with the Company's distribution system.”
peco.com ↗FirstEnergy Pennsylvania
FirstEnergy routes certified inverter systems of 10 kW or less through Level 1, with a $100 application fee, and says not to switch on until it has signed off. The page does not mention plug-in or portable solar.
“Level 1 - Generator Capacity of ≤ 10 kW, Inverter based, certified”
firstenergycorp.com ↗PPL Electric Utilities
PPL requires an online application for every project whatever its size, filed and approved before installation. The page does not mention plug-in or portable solar.
“All applications, regardless of size, must be submitted online.”
pplelectric.com ↗
Sources read and quotes checked 2026-09-22.
What an 800 W kit makes in Pennsylvania
A railing-mounted panel hangs close to vertical, so it makes less than a tilted rooftop panel. These figures use a vertical panel on purpose.
Yearly output
763
kWh / year
800W, south-facing railing, no shade
Electricity rate
20.57
¢ / kWh
EIA, 2025-07 to 2026-06
Yearly savings
$126
per year, before kit cost
assumes 80% self-use
Sun
4.9
peak sun hours / day
optimal tilt, Philadelphia
Output is modeled at Philadelphia with PVGIS 5.3, European Commission Joint Research Centre, ERA5 weather data.
Kits sold in the US
These kits are sold in the US. We rank them on published specs, certification and price and have not tested them. Pennsylvania has no plug-in solar law yet, so ask your utility before you connect one.
Some links in this section are affiliate links. We earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
Lowest cost per watt
Bright Saver Balcony 360 W
360 W
Two panels and a 360 W microinverter, sold at cost by a nonprofit. The cheapest way into plug-in solar we can find, and the only kit here whose inverter is described against UL 3700.
- Panels
- Two 180 W panels, 46 × 34 in, 11 lb each
- Certification
- Inverter listed as “UL 3700 compliant” (Hoymiles HiFlow Pro LV)
- Warranty
- 12-year inverter warranty
- Price
- $414.17 as of 2026-09-22
At-cost price from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not a retail price.
Bright Saver is a nonprofit we cover editorially. We earn nothing from this link.
Built-in battery
EcoFlow STREAM Ultra
800 W
800 W of on-grid output with 1.92–11.52 kWh of storage, so power made in the afternoon can run the evening. Pairing it with the STREAM Microinverter raises output to 1,200 W.
- Panels
- Not included
- Certification
- “UL1741-Certified & IEEE1547-Certified”
- Warranty
- 10 years
- Price
- Not published
EcoFlow lists no price until you configure the system.
Panels are not included, and EcoFlow's own page says plug-and-play use is currently available only in Utah, under H.B. 340.
Complete kit on Amazon
PluggedSolar 800 W Plug and Play
800 W
A complete kit sold as one box on Amazon. The panels sit in the sun and the cord goes to an outlet, so nothing is hard-wired.
- Panels
- Four 200 W panels, with a microinverter and a 50 ft cord
- Certification
- “UL 1741 code compliant for anti-islanding safety protection” (pluggedsolar.com); no lab listing published
- Warranty
- Not published
- Price
- $1,395.00 as of 2026-09-22
Amazon price read through the Creators API.
PluggedSolar publishes no lab listing for this kit and no warranty term we could find. Its Amazon listing estimates 1,500 kWh a year, which assumes panels angled at the sun.
We earn a commission if you buy through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
Most power
Craftstrom 1200 W Plug-in Solar Kit
1,200 W
Six panels and three 350 W microinverters with a smart power meter, for a yard, fence or long deck. The most output of anything here, at the highest price per watt.
- Panels
- Six 200 W bifacial semi-flexible panels
- Certification
- Inverters “ETL-certified to UL 1741 and IEEE 1547”
- Warranty
- 10 years on panels, inverters and power meter
- Price
- $3,309.00 as of 2026-09-22
Listed by the reseller My Own Watts.
Craftstrom sells through dealers, so prices differ by seller. We have no affiliate relationship with any of them.
- Anker SOLIX sells balcony systems in Europe, not in the US. We'll add them when a US model ships.
Questions about Pennsylvania
Is plug-in solar legal in Pennsylvania?
Not yet. Pennsylvania has no law allowing plug-in solar, but HB 1971 would create one. Here is where it stands, with the official bill page.
When could plug-in solar become legal in Pennsylvania?
HB 1971: In House Energy Committee; only action is referral on 2025-10-28. Alive in the 2025-2026 session (ends November 30, 2026). Checked 2026-09-20.
How much could an 800W kit save in Pennsylvania?
About $126 a year, before the kit's cost, for an unshaded 800W panel on a south-facing railing at 20.57¢/kWh. That assumes you use 80% of what it makes. Run the calculator for your own numbers.