Plug-in solar panels near approval by General Assembly
In a legislative effort to save people money and help them generate even a small amount of their own electricity, bills authorizing the installation of portable solar generation devices are nearing the finish line to be sent to the governor’s desk.
“The biggest thing is it’s a way for suburban and urban areas to participate in solar,” Del said. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax.
Public interest in portable solar panels, often called “balcony solar” panels, is growing inside and outside the state. The panels are intended to hang from balconies or the sides of houses and plug directly into the wall to feed up to 1,200 watts per unit back into the house and offset part of the energy consumption.
Senate Bill 250sponsored by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, and Parliamentary Bill 395by Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, is preventing landlords who own more than four rental units from banning the use of solar panels on balconies.
The invoices allow the property owner to establish reasonable restrictions on the location and size of signs on the property. Tenants are required to alert the landlord and their utility provider of their intent to use the signs.
Utah was the first state to pass a law allowing tenants to use the panels to offset part of their energy use. NOW, 28 states are considering similar legislation.
The average home uses about 1,000 kilowatts of energy per month during off-peak times. The panels would offset a fraction of that, but could save taxpayers about $100 a year or more.
Krizek said that because of their physical orientation, the signs can even be useful during high-use days, especially during the severe winter weather that froze much of the state in February.
“If (the solar on the balcony) had been there during that snowstorm, this whole thing would have worked because it’s vertical,” Krizek said.
Panel prices range from $400 to $2,000, depending on size and wattage. Surovell told the Senate last week that the savings from the panels “will pay for themselves in two to five years.”
The legislation exempts small devices from the need to sign an interconnection agreement – as is the case when homes sign up for much larger community solar projects.
“This bill makes clean energy more affordable, more accessible and more convenient for everyday Virginians by removing the red tape of hooking up, also known as balcony solar,” Krizek said.
Some amendments were added to the bills to make them mirror one another, to add safety rules and to create a working group to examine whether the panels will trigger an update to the housing code.
The House bill now rests on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk, who will review hundreds of bills and sign, amend or reject them via veto. The Senate bill awaits a final vote in the House. The legislative session ends Saturday.
Subscribe: Get morning headlines delivered to your inbox
