Low-Energy Friday: Permissionless Solar
As we all wait for voting on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 to commence, it seemed appropriate to discuss an idea and technology that has taken hold in other countries and is beginning to be adopted in the United States: Permissionless Solar.
In short, “permissionless solar” refers to solar panels specifically designed to integrate with the broader electric system without a permit or “permission” from a regulatory body. Most are simple enough that you don’t even need an electrician to install them. In practice, this means you can purchase a panel at your local big box retailer along with a gallon of milk. When you get home, you can stow the milk in the fridge and unbox the panel, appropriately orient it towards the sun, and plug it into the wall. Just as simply as you could plug in other appliances, whether a TV or a deep freezer.
It is well established that it costs more to install rooftop solar in the United States than in either Europe or Australia, even when the hardware costs are nearly the same. One component driving that difference is the cost of permitting and installation. And permitting is an important step when you’re affixing panels to roofs and hardwiring inverters and panels into a system that could potentially add power to the grid. On top of that, if you want to install rooftop solar, you need to own the roof, which only 53% of Americans do. If you’re in the 47% who don’t own your own home, solar is not an option, even in the face of increasing utility costs.
At least it wasn’t an option. Now that’s starting to change. Utah started a trend in 2025 with the passage of HB 340. Since then, 10 other states have passed legislation authorizing various forms of plug-in solar. Many others had bills introduced in 2026, with twenty-one of them likely to be reintroduced in 2027.
What does this look like in practice in Utah? The system can have an output no greater than 1,200 watts (about enough to power a microwave), has to have a standard 120 volt plug to plug into the wall, must be certified by an appropriate testing laboratory (UL or equivalent), compliant with the National Electric Code, and must contain anti-islanding protection (a safety feature that automatically shuts it down or disconnects it from the grid during power losses).
This last bit is critical, and a key piece of why this plug-in solar can be permissionless. When the power grid goes down, due to a squirrel making a questionable decision or a lightning strike causing a tree to topple some lines, the distribution system de-energizes for safety. When linesmen come to inspect the damage and determine the appropriate fix, they rely on those lines being “cold” so they can safely work with the lines and poles and return everything to service as quickly as possible. Without the anti-islanding protection scheme in the solar hardware, there is a risk the solar could push a current to the grid and seriously injure or kill a linesman. With it, the local utility can be assured of the safety of their linesmen.
So where did this all come from? Germany. In 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine, European energy prices increased dramatically in part due to an overreliance on Russian natural gas. In order to help mitigate the costs, Germany reduced the regulatory burden of installing “Balkonkraftwerk,” or balcony power plant. Consequently, they went from an estimated 40,000 systems in 2017 to potentially four million systems in 2025. To be clear, this was about energy affordability, not clean power for the sake of it. The Germans limited the size of their systems to 2000 watts for panels. In the United States, that might offset between 12 and 18 percent of monthly kilowatt-hours purchased from the local utility by the target customer or renter.
So as the calendar turns, and legislatures return to state capitals, permissionless solar should be a part of the affordability conversation. Customers should be able to choose what they do behind their meter while maintaining the safety of the broader grid. They say necessity is the mother of invention, but in this case it was also the mother of deregulation. Permissionless solar isn’t going to upend the electric grid, but it is a way to help consumers save a little cash while providing a hedge against power market volatility. Allowing it should be an easy call.