DIY plug-in solar gains momentum in the US
DIY plug-in solar gains momentum in the US
DIY 插入式太阳能系统在美国势头渐起
Europe’s off-the-shelf solution to fight high energy costs is finally coming to the US. 欧洲应对高昂能源成本的现成解决方案终于来到了美国。
How it started
起源
With a deep breath, I took the cable seething with 800W of solar power and plugged it directly into a standard wall jack in my home. Nothing sparked, nothing smoked, and by the end of that sunny summer day, my electricity bill had dropped to nearly $0. 我深吸一口气，拿起那根承载着 800 瓦太阳能电力的电缆，直接插进了家里的标准墙壁插座。没有火花，没有冒烟，而在那个阳光明媚的夏日结束时，我的电费几乎降到了 0 美元。
As unnerving as it sounds to treat a common household power outlet as a power input, these DIY plug-in solar kits, sometimes called balcony solar, have proven to be safe and effective for years already in Europe, and are slowly making their way into the US to democratize the production of energy. They transform solar from a high-barrier capital improvement (starting at around $15,000) requiring contractors, engineering permits, and utility preapproval, into a consumer appliance you can buy at a supermarket (starting around $300) and hang from a balcony railing or prop against a wall — all without the help of an electrician. 尽管把普通的家用电源插座当作电力输入口听起来让人不安，但这些 DIY 插入式太阳能套件（有时被称为“阳台太阳能”）在欧洲已被证明安全有效多年，并正缓慢进入美国，以实现能源生产的民主化。它们将太阳能从一种门槛极高（起价约 1.5 万美元）、需要承包商、工程许可和公用事业公司预先批准的资本项目，转变为一种可以在超市购买（起价约 300 美元）、挂在阳台栏杆上或靠在墙边的消费电器——全程无需电工协助。
Traditional plug-in solar kits include a few solar panels and a small microinverter that ties itself to the electrical grid. The microinverter converts solar energy into power that’s prioritized for use by devices inside your home. 传统的插入式太阳能套件包括几块太阳能电池板和一个连接电网的小型微型逆变器。微型逆变器将太阳能转换为电力，优先供家中的设备使用。
Optionally, you can add a battery to the kit to store any surplus energy produced during the day. That way, you can continue to cut your costs by feeding that stored energy back into the home when the sun goes down. These so-called power stations can also be used to power a fridge and other critical devices during a blackout. They start at around $500 for a small 1kWh battery or $1,500 for 3kWh. 你还可以选择在套件中增加一个电池，以储存白天产生的多余能量。这样，当太阳落山时，你可以通过将储存的能量回馈给家庭来继续降低成本。这些所谓的“移动电源站”也可以在停电期间为冰箱和其他关键设备供电。小型 1kWh 电池的起价约为 500 美元，3kWh 的起价约为 1500 美元。
I live in Europe, where millions of households, including an estimated 1.5M in Germany, have purchased plug-in solar systems over the last few years to gain a modicum of energy independence. They’re so popular, even Ikea sells them (though they’re actually just EcoFlow resellers). 我住在欧洲，过去几年里，数百万家庭（包括德国估计 150 万户）购买了插入式太阳能系统，以获得一点能源独立。它们非常受欢迎，甚至连宜家都在销售（尽管他们实际上只是 EcoFlow 的经销商）。
Plug-in solar’s popularity has been fueled by two things. Oil and gas prices have surged ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, and have remained high amid the ongoing US war with Iran. Meanwhile, global prices for solar panels and batteries have fallen to record lows — though US consumers face higher costs due to Trump’s tariffs on panels and batteries and the elimination of solar tax credits. Nevertheless, plug-in solar is finally getting a foothold in those amber waves of grain. 插入式太阳能的普及受到两个因素的推动。自俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，石油和天然气价格飙升，并在美国与伊朗持续的冲突中保持高位。与此同时，全球太阳能电池板和电池的价格已降至历史最低点——尽管由于特朗普对电池板和电池征收关税以及取消太阳能税收抵免，美国消费者面临更高的成本。尽管如此，插入式太阳能终于在美国这片土地上站稳了脚跟。
Historically, utility regulations in the US treated a budget solar panel in a garden like a massive 10kW rooftop array. Now, over a dozen states have passed laws or introduced bills to legalize the deployment of plug-in solar systems. The rules vary, but in general they allow for qualifying plug-in solar systems to be installed without utility preapproval so long as they meet safety requirements, prevent individual circuits from overloading, and shut down during a power outage to keep line workers safe. 从历史上看，美国的公用事业法规将花园里的廉价太阳能电池板视为大型 10kW 屋顶阵列。现在，十多个州已经通过法律或引入法案，使插入式太阳能系统的部署合法化。规则各不相同，但总体而言，只要符合安全要求、防止单个电路过载，并在停电期间自动关闭以保障线路工人安全，合格的插入式太阳能系统无需公用事业公司的预先批准即可安装。
How it’s going
现状
I’ve had a modest 400W plug-in system operating on my rooftop deck in the Netherlands. In those 21 months of use, it produced 709kWh, saving me about €225 (about $260) — enough to nearly offset the purchase price of my kit. It will take longer to offset the rather large $1,800 power station it all plugs into when I’m home. But as an avid vanlifer, I get a ton of extra value out of that emergency battery, which also enables me to live and work off grid for months at a time. 我在荷兰的屋顶露台上运行着一套适中的 400W 插入式系统。在 21 个月的使用中，它产生了 709kWh 的电量，为我节省了约 225 欧元（约 260 美元）——几乎抵消了套件的购买成本。要抵消我回家时连接的那台价值 1800 美元的大型移动电源站的成本则需要更长时间。但作为一名狂热的“房车生活”爱好者，那块应急电池为我提供了巨大的额外价值，使我能够一次离网生活和工作数月。
People operating a plug-in solar system in sunnier climates with maxed out solar arrays will recoup costs much faster. European plug-in solar systems can feed as much as 800W into the home, while US states typically support up to 1200W. And kits often support even greater solar capacity so long as it’s diverted to a battery. 在阳光更充足、太阳能阵列配置更高的地区，使用插入式太阳能系统的人回本速度会快得多。欧洲的插入式太阳能系统最多可向家庭输送 800W 电力，而美国各州通常支持高达 1200W。只要将多余电力导入电池，套件通常支持更大的太阳能容量。
In the US, plug-in solar is now legal in Virginia, Maine, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire, ever since Utah pioneered the state-level reclassification of plug-in solar as a small household appliance last year. Legislation is awaiting governor signature in California and New York, while another half-dozen states have introduced bills. 在美国，自犹他州去年率先在州一级将插入式太阳能重新归类为小型家用电器以来，弗吉尼亚州、缅因州、科罗拉多州、马里兰州、新泽西州、康涅狄格州、佛蒙特州和新罕布什尔州现已将插入式太阳能合法化。加利福尼亚州和纽约州的立法正等待州长签署，另有六个州也已引入相关法案。
In Europe, of the 27 EU member states, only Sweden and Hungary still prohibit plug-in solar devices. 在欧洲，欧盟 27 个成员国中，只有瑞典和匈牙利仍禁止使用插入式太阳能设备。
What happens next
未来展望
European adoption of plug-in solar systems will almost certainly continue its upward trend so long as solar and battery prices keep falling — it’s not like the geopolitical situation will bring energy prices down anytime soon. US adoption could be in for a hockey stick moment of growth just as soon as California — the state with the highest residential electricity rates — signs plug-in solar into law. 只要太阳能和电池价格持续下跌，欧洲对插入式太阳能系统的采用几乎肯定会继续保持上升趋势——地缘政治局势短期内不太可能让能源价格下降。一旦加利福尼亚州（住宅电价最高的州）将插入式太阳能立法，美国的采用率可能会迎来爆发式增长。
Now that the legal dominos have started falling in the US, the nascent plug-in solar category has piqued the interest of companies focused on home energy. EcoFlow, Bluetti, Anker, and many others, are all trying to capitalize on the surge of interest, giving renters and budget-conscious consumers a wider selection of kits to choose from. 随着美国的法律多米诺骨牌开始倒下，新兴的插入式太阳能领域引起了专注于家庭能源的公司的兴趣。EcoFlow、Bluetti、Anker 等许多公司都在试图利用这一激增的兴趣，为租房者和注重预算的消费者提供更广泛的套件选择。
Already in the last few months, we’ve seen EcoFlow launch its more capable Stream 2 series alongside Bluetti’s Balco series. Both of these plug-in solar systems are built on modular architectures so that owners can expand from… 在过去几个月里，我们已经看到 EcoFlow 推出了功能更强大的 Stream 2 系列，以及 Bluetti 的 Balco 系列。这两个插入式太阳能系统都基于模块化架构构建，因此用户可以从……进行扩展。