Will New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sign a balcony solar bill?

New York lawmakers have passed the Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) Act, which would legalize "balcony solar" — small solar panels that plug directly into a regular outlet and start feeding power into your home right away. Gov. Kathy Hochul has until the end of the year to sign it. Her office says only that it's under review, and given her recent record of pulling back on other state climate measures, her decision isn't a sure thing. Supporters, including Con Edison, are pushing for a signature, arguing it fits her focus on affordability.

This matters most if you rent or own an apartment or condo and can't install rooftop solar. The bill would cap plug-in systems at 1,200 watts, enough to run something like a fridge and a laptop during daylight hours, and would let people install them without needing prior utility approval (though you'd still fill out an online form telling your utility about it). An 800-watt setup priced around $1,099 could cut a household's electric bill by close to $300 a year, according to clean energy advocates — modest, but installation takes under an hour and the savings start immediately.

One catch: no plug-in solar product has yet been certified safe by a nationally recognized testing lab, though a certification program launched this year and the first approved products are expected soon. Seven other states have already legalized similar setups, and dozens more are considering it. If Hochul signs, New York would become the largest state so far to open the door to this kind of home solar.