California Solar Power Bills Move Forward to Support Balcony Solar, Community Solar, and VPPs

California lawmakers are moving forward with several bills that could open up new, smaller-scale ways to get solar power at home. One bill, SB 868, would clear the way for "plug-in" or "balcony" solar — small systems up to 1,200 watts that plug into a regular household outlet instead of going through the usual utility approval process and local permits. That could make small solar setups far simpler for renters or homeowners who don't want a full rooftop installation.

A second bill, AB 1813, targets community solar, which lets people buy into a shared solar project rather than install panels on their own roof. It would direct state regulators to use a specific pricing method (the Public Utilities Commission's Avoided Cost Calculator) to value community solar and battery storage, aiming to revive a part of the market that has stalled in California. A third pair of bills, SB 913 and a related proposal, deal with virtual power plants — networks of home batteries that send power back to the grid when demand is high. SB 913 would require regulators to set rules for valuing those exports, and a companion proposal would let batteries at people's homes qualify for grid reliability payments based on how much power they can send out, not just how much they save on-site.

All of these bills are still working through the California legislature and are not yet law. If they pass, they could give homeowners more options for small-scale solar and battery setups, and possibly some help with California's high electricity costs, though it's too early to know the exact impact on any individual bill.