Allowing Virginians to generate their own electricity using small solar panel systems plugged in at home was among more than a dozen proposals that a state commission voted Thursday to recommend to the Virginia General Assembly.
The bill would create a new legal category for these “small portable solar generation devices,” which are also called “balcony solar” or “plug-in solar” systems.
Under the proposed law, such systems would be smaller than 1,200 watts in capacity and would plug directly into a home electrical outlet, bypassing the need for a contract with a power company.
Such a system could appeal to renters, apartment residents and homeowners whose houses have roofs that are inadequate for rooftop solar, according to a memo from the staff of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.
