California advances slate of community solar, balcony solar, and virtual power plant bills

California lawmakers are moving forward on several bills aimed at making solar and battery storage more accessible, as electricity rates in the state have doubled over the past decade. One bill, from Senator Scott Wiener, would let renters and homeowners plug small "balcony solar" systems (up to 1,200 watts) directly into a regular outlet, skipping the usual utility paperwork and local permits. A 400-watt setup could cover about 14% of an average apartment's electricity use, saving roughly $250 a year, according to one estimate.

Another bill would jump-start community solar, which lets people buy into a shared solar project rather than installing panels on their own roof. It directs regulators to value community solar and storage using an existing state pricing tool, which supporters say could unlock billions of dollars in system-wide savings and lower costs even for people who don't sign up. Two related bills would let home battery systems get paid for sending power back to the grid during peak demand, and would measure how much spare capacity already exists on local power lines before utilities spend money expanding them.

A separate bill that would have required utilities to give customers real-time access to their own smart meter data — the device that tracks home electricity use — stalled in committee, so that change is not moving forward for now.

All the surviving bills still need final votes in the state Assembly and Senate before they could go to the governor to be signed into law. If you're in California, these are worth watching if you're weighing solar, batteries, or ways to cut your electric bill.