As energy prices climb and new technology rules loosen, plug-in solar may soon offer Hoosiers a practical way to cut bills and pollution without going “all in” on a full rooftop system. SB 74, introduced this session at the Indiana Statehouse, would finally make these small systems clearly legal and safe to use here, much like trailblazing laws in Utah and the plug-in solar boom in Germany.
A plug-in or “balcony” solar system is a small kit, typically 300–1,200 watts, that you mount on a balcony, porch, yard rack, or garage roof and plug into a standard household outlet.
It usually includes:
- One to three solar panels
- A grid-tied microinverter with anti-islanding protection (so it shuts off when the grid goes down)
- A heavy-duty cord and plug, plus mounting hardware
John Smilie, who helped the Crawfordsville library and other local non-profits solarize, explains that the key safety device “is that anti‑islanding inverter that makes it safe to plug directly into your wall socket,” and modern devices must carry UL 1741 certification so they shut off automatically in an outage. These systems are designed to offset “baseline” home usage (refrigerator, always‑on electronics, lights). They will not run your whole house or fully charge an EV, but they could shave a chunk off your energy bill.
Plug-in systems are built around the same safety standards as larger rooftop arrays; the UL 1741 anti‑islanding requirements protect lineworkers. The inverter constantly checks whether power is coming into your home; if the grid is down, it shuts off so you cannot backfeed electricity into power lines.
Smilie recommends level expectations about the systems. While a well-chosen system can last 20-25 years, with return on investment kicking in after about five years, its efficacy has limitations based on panel size, orientation, shade, weather and seasons.
He notes that these systems need to be on their own circuit in home breaker boxes. “You really want nothing else operating on that circuit, and make sure you’ve got nothing else on that circuit,” so the panel’s power remains protected by a breaker and does not overload interior wiring. He also recommends buying only UL‑certified equipment from reputable sellers to avoid the kinds of battery and wiring failures that have plagued knockoff e‑bike gear.
Plug‑in solar took off first in Germany, where over 60% of residents rent and cannot install rooftop arrays. Rising electricity prices—roughly three times what a Crawfordsville household pays per kilowatt‑hour—made even small savings very attractive, especially for renters facing the “split incentive” problem (landlords own the roof, tenants pay the bill).
Germany responded by simplifying rules and explicitly allowing balcony systems, which helped create a market of standardized kits around 300–800 watts that renters can hang over a railing and plug in themselves. By 2024, the country had installed hundreds of thousands of “balkonkraftwerk” units, with some households covering up to about a quarter of their electricity needs on sunny days.
Until Utah became the first U.S. state to explicitly legalize plug-in solar last year, devotees cobbled together the systems. They added technology to keep the systems from being detected by the utility company by keeping energy from flowing back into the grid. Utah passed two laws that legalized the small portable solar generation devices. Under Utah law, devices must:
- Produce no more than 1,200 watts
- Plug into a standard 120‑volt outlet
- Meet National Electrical Code and UL safety standards
- Primarily offset on‑site residential use
In exchange, Utah residents do not need utility interconnection agreements, approval, or related fees for these small systems. Smilie notes that utilities’ concerns there were addressed by “putting some language in here to make sure the utility is not liable for people plugging their own panels into the wall, which I think is fair,” protecting both customers and power companies.
Right now, Indiana law treats a 1,000‑watt plug‑in system roughly like a full rooftop array, triggering interconnection rules and paperwork that do not match the small scale of the technology. SB 74, authored by Sen. J.D. Ford and sent to the Senate Utilities Committee, would:
- Carve out a special category for plug‑in units under 1.2 kW used in homes and apartments
- Exempt these units from Indiana’s rooftop interconnection agreements and related fees
- Clarify that utilities are not required to buy back surplus energy from such systems
- Establish safety requirements and release utilities from liability for injuries or damage caused by customer‑owned plug‑in units
That approach mirrors Utah’s: light regulation for very small systems, combined with clear safety expectations and liability protections for utilities.
For a typical Hoosier household, Smilie estimates that “the [current] system might cost you about $1,000, and under ideal conditions, you might save about 15% of your bill,” leading to a possible payback in about five years. Indiana homes often use 1,000–1,200 kilowatt‑hours per month, so a 1.2 kW plug‑in array operating at roughly a 15% capacity factor could generate around 1,500 kWh per year—enough to cover part of your appliances or a meaningful share of EV charging.
On the climate side, Smilie calculates that such a system in Indiana could avoid roughly one ton of carbon dioxide emissions per year, given the relatively high emissions per kilowatt‑hour on the regional grid. Framed another way, he notes that this is comparable to eliminating the gasoline from roughly 2,600 miles of driving in an average car—or powering about 5,500 miles a year in an efficient electric vehicle.
Smilie’s advice on advocacy for SB 74 is simple: “The number one easiest thing that anybody can do is call their state senator first, since it’s on the Senate side, and then their state rep as well.” Personalized calls and emails signal that plug‑in solar matters to voters, especially in smaller communities like those across west‑central Indiana.
Hoosiers can:
- Track SB 74’s text and committee action at iga.in.gov by searching for “Senate Bill 74 Plug‑in solar for Hoosiers”
- Sign up for updates and action alerts from the Hoosier Environmental Council, which is supporting the bill and summarizing each major step -https://www.hecweb.org/enews/
- Share local stories—renters, older homes, EV drivers—so lawmakers see how small plug‑in systems can help real households manage bills and cut emissions in a time of rising energy costs