The balcony solar boom is coming to the US
The balcony solar boom is coming to the US
阳台太阳能热潮即将来临美国
Dozens of US states are considering legislation to allow people to install plug-in solar systems, often called balcony solar. These small arrays require little to no setup and could help cut emissions and power bills. Balcony solar is already popular in Europe, and proponents say that the systems could make solar power more accessible for more people in the US, including renters. As popularity rises, though, some experts caution that there are safety concerns with how balcony solar would work with existing electrical equipment in homes. Let’s talk about what balcony solar is, why it’s unique, and how new testing requirements could affect our progress toward deploying the technology in the US.
美国数十个州正在考虑立法，允许民众安装即插即用型太阳能系统，通常被称为“阳台太阳能”。这些小型阵列几乎不需要安装调试，有助于减少碳排放并降低电费。阳台太阳能在欧洲已经很普及，支持者认为，这种系统能让包括租房者在内的更多美国人更容易使用太阳能。然而，随着其日益流行，一些专家提醒称，阳台太阳能如何与家庭现有电气设备兼容存在安全隐患。让我们来探讨一下什么是阳台太阳能、它有何独特之处，以及新的测试要求将如何影响该技术在美国的部署进程。
Plug-in solar systems are designed to be simple to install, often requiring no electrician or specialized worker at all. They’re small, and many can be plugged into existing outlets. People across Germany have installed over a million balcony solar systems. They generally measure up to roughly two square meters or about 20 square feet, and can generate up to 800 watts—enough to power a standard microwave. Now the plug-in solar wave is coming to the US.
即插即用型太阳能系统的设计初衷是安装简便，通常完全不需要电工或专业人员。它们体积小巧，许多可以直接插入现有的插座。德国各地已经安装了超过一百万套阳台太阳能系统。这些系统通常面积不超过两平方米（约20平方英尺），发电功率最高可达800瓦——足以驱动一台标准微波炉。现在，这股即插即用太阳能浪潮正席卷美国。
Many Americans have already installed DIY balcony solar without the permission of their utilities—it’s something of a regulatory gray area. In late 2025, Utah became the first state to explicitly allow people to install and use balcony solar systems. Over two dozen other states are now considering similar legislation. Generally, utilities require users to sign an interconnection agreement before they can plug in large arrays of solar panels that generate power for the grid. There can be fees and permits, and it all amounts to an expensive and lengthy process. Utah’s law ditched the interconnection requirement for panels that have a low power cap and that are certified by a national testing facility. (Legislation under consideration in other states, including New York, includes the same requirements.) The thinking is that since the panels produce very little power, which would be used to meet a home’s own energy demand and probably not get sent back to the grid, the same requirements shouldn’t apply.
许多美国人已经在未经电力公司许可的情况下自行安装了阳台太阳能——这在监管上处于灰色地带。2025年底，犹他州成为第一个明确允许民众安装和使用阳台太阳能系统的州。目前，其他二十多个州正在考虑类似的立法。通常情况下，电力公司要求用户在接入大型太阳能电池板阵列并向电网输电前，必须签署并网协议。这往往涉及费用和许可，整个过程既昂贵又漫长。犹他州的法律取消了对功率上限较低且经国家测试机构认证的电池板的并网要求。（包括纽约州在内的其他州正在审议的立法也包含了相同的要求。）其逻辑是，由于这些电池板产生的电量很少，主要用于满足家庭自身的能源需求，通常不会回馈给电网，因此不应适用同样的监管要求。
As for that certification piece, in January the national testing and certification lab UL Solutions released UL 3700, a testing protocol to certify balcony solar systems and ensure that they’re safe. There are three main safety considerations to address for these plug-in solar systems, says Joseph Bablo, manager of principal engineering, energy, and industrial automation at UL Solutions. First, there’s the possibility of overloading a circuit. Generally, electrical circuits have circuit breakers, which can trip and interrupt current if necessary. But if there’s a solar panel adding extra power to a circuit, a traditional breaker might not be able to respond to overload. Over time, overloaded circuits can damage equipment or even start a fire.
关于认证方面，今年1月，国家测试与认证实验室UL Solutions发布了UL 3700，这是一项旨在认证阳台太阳能系统并确保其安全性的测试协议。UL Solutions能源与工业自动化首席工程经理约瑟夫·巴布洛（Joseph Bablo）表示，这些即插即用型太阳能系统主要有三个安全考量。首先是电路过载的可能性。通常，电路配有断路器，必要时可以跳闸并切断电流。但如果太阳能电池板向电路额外供电，传统的断路器可能无法应对过载。长期来看，过载的电路可能会损坏设备，甚至引发火灾。
Second, these small systems are typically installed on the outside of homes, and outdoor power outlets generally have ground fault circuit interruption (GFCI). Basically, if an outlet or its surroundings are wet, it can shut down to prevent electric shock. Many GFCI systems may not work if there’s power going back into an outlet from a solar panel. Finally, there’s touch safety: If a plug gets disconnected from the wall, the blades of the plug may still have power running through them for a short time. If a panel is getting sunlight, those blades could be energized for longer than is typical.
其次，这些小型系统通常安装在室外，而室外电源插座通常配有漏电保护装置（GFCI）。简单来说，如果插座或其周围环境潮湿，它会自动断电以防止触电。如果太阳能电池板向插座反向供电，许多GFCI系统可能无法正常工作。最后是接触安全：如果插头从墙上拔出，插脚在短时间内可能仍带有电流。如果电池板正在接收阳光，这些插脚带电的时间可能会比平时更长。
The new UL Solutions testing framework aims to address these concerns. One of the key recommendations is that plug-in solar panels should use a special outlet that’s designed specifically for them. The safety measures included in that connection, and within a panel, would ensure that the panels are safe. The need for a special outlet means that currently, people who want to plug in a solar panel array would probably need to have an electrician come and update their wiring in order to comply with the protocol, Bablo says. “I know they want to say ‘No electrician, no permits’—we’re not there.”
新的UL Solutions测试框架旨在解决这些问题。其中一项关键建议是，即插即用型太阳能电池板应使用专门为其设计的特殊插座。该连接方式及电池板内部包含的安全措施将确保电池板的安全性。巴布洛表示，由于需要特殊插座，目前想要接入太阳能电池板阵列的用户可能仍需请电工更新线路，以符合协议要求。“我知道他们想说‘无需电工，无需许可’——但我们还没达到那个阶段。”
Today, anyone can buy products like solar panels and inverters, some of which carry their own component UL certifications, and string them together. (Inverters are covered under UL 1741, for example.) But the gold standard is to have an entire system that meets the safety requirements, and that means adhering to the new standard, Bablo says. As of early May, there aren’t any plug-in solar systems that have been fully certified by UL Solutions. And Bablo said he couldn’t share information about what, if any, are in the pipeline. Even with the new certification requirements, Bablo still thinks plug-in solar still has the potential to help more people access the technology. “There’s a way for it to work, but we want it to work safely,” he says.
如今，任何人都可以购买太阳能电池板和逆变器等产品（其中一些带有各自组件的UL认证），并将它们串联起来。（例如，逆变器受UL 1741标准涵盖。）但巴布洛指出，黄金标准是拥有一个符合所有安全要求的完整系统，这意味着必须遵守新标准。截至5月初，还没有任何即插即用型太阳能系统获得UL Solutions的全面认证。巴布洛表示，他无法透露目前是否有相关产品正在申请认证。尽管有新的认证要求，巴布洛仍认为即插即用型太阳能有潜力帮助更多人使用这项技术。“它有实现普及的途径，但我们希望它能安全地运行，”他说。