Acquiring solar panels at home can be an expensive hassle for people in the US. But small, simple, plug-in solar panels for use on balconies are soon to become available for millions of Americans, with advocates hoping the technology will quickly go mainstream.

Earlier this year, Utah became the first state in the country to pass legislation allowing people to purchase and install small, portable solar panels that plug into a standard wall socket.

When attached outside to the balcony or patio of a dwelling, such panels can provide enough power for residents to run free of charge, home appliances such as fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and wi-fi without spending money on electricity from the grid.

Balcony solar panels are now widespread in countries such as Germany – where more than 1m homes have them – but have until now been stymied in the US by state regulations. This is set to change, with lawmakers in New York and Pennsylvania filing bills to join Utah in adopting permission for the panels, with Vermont, Maryland and New Hampshire set to follow suit soon.

“Plug-in solar is a powerful tool to deliver enhanced energy independence and affordability to millions of New Yorkers who are currently shut out of the solar economy,” said Liz Krueger, a New York state senator who has sponsored a bill to allow balcony solar.

Krueger said that her tweak to state law will be “a gamechanger for renters, low-income New Yorkers, and many others who can’t install rooftop solar”.

A further five states could join the rush in the next few months, according to Kevin Chou, executive director of Bright Saver, a non-profit that champions the adoption of balcony solar panels.

“There’s now so much interest in this,” said Chou. “The federal administration has been so negative to clean energy that people have thought ‘OK what can we do at the state level?’ and this has been one of those things.

“There’s real momentum behind this now. In states where electricity is more expensive, in particular, I think we will see market forces really carry this far.”

As with solar panels that are attached to a building’s roof, or arrayed in fields, balcony solar soaks up the sun, albeit on a smaller scale. It then feeds this clean energy, via an inverter, into the wall socket. The panels themselves are smaller than standard rooftop panels and can be zip-tied in place without professional installation.

They sell for the equivalent of about $300 in Germany, with more expensive versions for $1,500 and upwards, that include some battery storage that can continue to feed in solar power to the home once the sun has vanished for the day.

All of this power is sufficient to run most home appliances for free, although it isn’t enough for larger family homes that have substantial air conditioning units or require charging for an electric vehicle.

“If you’re a single person living at home it can power all of your needs, but not for a family of six,” said Chou. “This isn’t a silver bullet or anything, it could maybe knock 5% off emissions. But it is an easy thing to do, it’s convenient and it can save people money. At the moment, there aren’t many wins happening for the climate and this can be one.”

A major barrier to balcony solar, though, has been the regulatory system across states, which typically requires anyone who installs solar panels to strike an agreement with the local utility for the power they are feeding back to the grid.

The installation of panels also typically has to be done by contractors and is inspected. This regime, plus inconsistent federal and state incentives for solar, means that only about 7% of US homes have rooftop solar, far less than some other countries. In Australia, for example, more than one in three households have rooftop solar.

In Utah, state legislator Raymond Ward was intrigued after reading about balcony solar and realized a minor adjustment to the law would allow Utahns to purchase the technology. His legislation carved out an exemption from interconnection agreements for people generating 1.2 kilowatt of power or less.

“The state law said that if you put any power back on the grid, even one electron, you need a contract with the utility, which is just crazy,” said Ward, who is a Republican.

“No one opposed the change. I fully expect 10 other legislatures in 2026 will run a bill like this, and more and more people will become interested in this. It will definitely happen.”

The pro-fossil fuel Trump administration has sought to squash certain solar and wind projects, while some utilities in the US have made it difficult for residents to adopt solar due to fears it could cut into their profits.