Balcony Solar in California: SB 868 for San Diego (2027)

Quick answer

Yes: starting January 1, 2027, a certified plug-in solar device of up to 1,200 watts per home is legal in California, and SDG&E can't make you get approval, pay a fee or add equipment to use it. SB 868 (Wiener) was approved by Governor Newsom on September 30, 2026 and chaptered as Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026.

The catches: the device must be certified as a plug-in PV system by UL or an equivalent lab, and as of the June 2026 Assembly committee analysis no complete commercial kit had that certification. The law creates no payment for power you send back to the grid. It doesn't touch lease or HOA rules. And the utility protections are written to expire January 1, 2030.

Who it fits: San Diego renters, condo owners and anyone with a sunny, south-ish balcony or patio and daytime power use at home. Ignore any "SB 868 approved" label on a kit until you can see the actual certification.

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Solar today: SDG&E pays about 5.5¢/kWh for noon exports vs 19.2¢ at 6pm · North County power today

Pulled automatically from public feeds (news, NWS, SDG&E, NREL, Google Trends). Something we missed? Text PJ.

What SB 868 actually says

SB 868 adds Chapter 13 (Sections 8530-8532) to the Public Utilities Code. Here is each rule, with what the text says and what it doesn't.

Question	What the bill text says
Size cap	"A maximum aggregated AC output of no more than 1,200 watts per dwelling" (§8530(c)(1)). That's per home, total, not per panel.
How it connects	"Designed to be connected to and disconnected from a building's electrical system through a receptacle" (§8530(c)(2)). The bill doesn't name a plug type, amperage or a dedicated circuit. open Whether certified kits will need a special receptacle is up to the certification standard (see below).
Purpose	"Intended to offset the customer's onsite electricity consumption" (§8530(c)(3)).
Codes and safety listing	Must meet the most recent National Electrical Code and California Electrical Code (§8530(c)(4)), be "certified as a plug-in photovoltaic system by Underwriters Laboratories, or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory" (§8530(c)(5)), and include a certified feature that isolates it from the building's wiring so it can't backfeed the grid during a power outage (§8530(c)(6)).
Utility approval	Exempt from "all interconnection requirements" of state law, the CPUC and utility rules, including any interconnection agreement (§8531(a)). SDG&E "shall not require" approval before you install or use it (§8531(b)(1)).
Fees and equipment	No "fee or charge related to the portable solar generation device or the electricity" it feeds into your home, and no required extra controls or equipment (§8531(b)(2)-(3)).
Notifying SDG&E	The utility may require "a simple online registration form" with your address and the device's make, model and size. The form "shall not require approval" (§8531(c)).
Devices that don't qualify	Anything that misses any condition "does not qualify" for these exemptions (§8531(d)), so normal utility interconnection rules apply to it.
Renters, landlords, HOAs	Nothing. The bill text has no landlord, tenant, lease or HOA language.
Export payment / net metering	Nothing. The bill creates no credit or payment for power sent to the grid.
When it starts	January 1, 2027. It's a regular (non-urgency) 2026 bill, which takes effect January 1 of the next year under the California Constitution, art. IV, §8(c).
Sunset	§8531, the section with the approval, fee and registration rules, "shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030." open Whether lawmakers extend it is unknown.
Sales rule	Beginning January 1, 2030, plug-in PV devices that don't meet the code, certification and anti-backfeed conditions "shall not be sold or offered for sale in the state" (§8532).

Quotes are from SB 868's enrolled text on leginfo (published 8/28/2026), the version the Governor approved 9/30/2026. Bill history: passed the Assembly 8/25/2026, Senate concurred 8/26/2026, approved and chaptered 9/30/2026.

The certification catch

A kit only gets the law's protections if the whole system is certified as a plug-in PV system. The Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee's analysis (hearing June 10, 2026) said UL debuted a plug-in solar certification framework in January 2026 built on UL 3700. It also said that "no commercially available product is available with UL certification." Individual components are certified, the analysis said, but not full kits.

KQED reported on August 27, 2026 that current plug-in models don't yet meet the bill's requirements, and that compatible products were expected around spring 2027. Treat that date as a news estimate, not a promise.

What to check before you buy: a listing mark on the system itself (not just the panel or inverter) for plug-in PV, a built-in anti-backfeed/isolation feature, and a total AC output of 1,200 W or less for your whole home.
Watch for: kits sold today as "California legal" or "SB 868 ready" with no system-level certification you can verify. Under §8531(d), a kit that isn't certified isn't covered.

What it means for an SDG&E customer

Power from a plug-in panel feeds the circuit it's plugged into, and anything running in your home at that moment uses it first. Its value is the SDG&E price you don't pay for those kWh. Most of that power comes in the late morning and early afternoon, which on SDG&E's time-of-use plans is mostly the cheaper super off-peak and off-peak hours, not the 4-9pm peak.

Example: 800 W array near Solana Beach	Est. output per year (NREL PVWatts)	Value on TOU-DR1, summer 37.4-46.4¢	Value on EV-TOU-5, summer super off-peak 13.1¢
Hung vertically on a south-facing railing	~754 kWh	~$280-$350	~$100
Tilted 20° facing south on a patio	~1,302 kWh	~$490-$600	~$170

Example only, with the inputs labeled. Output: NREL PVWatts v8 for 0.8 kW, 14% default losses, Solana Beach coordinates, checked Oct 1, 2026. It estimates about 5.75 kWh/m² per day of sun on the tilted array and 3.40 on the vertical one. A vertical south railing produces most in winter (about 97 kWh in January, 27 in June) because the sun is lower. Rates: SDG&E Schedule TOU-DR1 and EV-TOU-5 total rates, non-CCA, effective 8/1/2026. TOU-DR1 summer super off-peak is 37.4¢ and off-peak 46.4¢; winter is 43.7¢ and 53.1¢.

This is the best case: it assumes every kWh is used in your home. A shaded, east- or west-facing or partly blocked balcony makes less. On TOU-DR1, power that cuts usage inside your baseline also cuts the 10.7¢/kWh baseline credit, so low-usage homes save less per kWh. If you're with San Diego Community Power or Clean Energy Alliance, your generation price differs. Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers.

How it interacts with NEM and the Solar Billing Plan

No export credit in the law. Net metering and SDG&E's Solar Billing Plan (Net Billing Tariff) are reached through interconnection, and SB 868 exempts plug-in devices from interconnection without creating any payment for exports. Size the kit to what you actually use during the day.
open What happens to power that flows back out. The committee analysis notes the bill "does permit these devices to export power to the grid during normal grid conditions." How SDG&E's meter records it, and whether it's credited at all, isn't written anywhere yet.
open If you already have rooftop solar. SB 868 doesn't say how a plug-in device interacts with an existing NEM 1, NEM 2 or Solar Billing Plan agreement. Don't add one to a home with existing solar until SDG&E publishes guidance or confirms in writing.
On EV-TOU-5 (Solar Billing Plan customers, many EV owners): midday power is already cheap (13.1¢ summer super off-peak), so a plug-in panel saves much less. See EV-TOU-5 vs TOU-DR1.

Local context: in the June 2026 committee analysis, SDG&E was listed as "oppose unless amended," citing safety and grid-visibility concerns. San Diego Community Power and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria were listed in support. As of October 1, 2026 we found no SDG&E plug-in solar registration page. The law allows SDG&E to create one but doesn't require it.

Who it fits, and who it doesn't

Good fit

Renters and condo owners who can't put solar on the roof, with a south-ish balcony, patio or yard that gets real sun. Bonus if someone's home in the daytime, or you run a fridge, a home office or other steady daytime loads, on TOU-DR1 or a similar plan.

Weak fit

North-facing or shaded units, marine-layer-heavy spots, or homes empty all day (power you don't use earns nothing under the law). Also EV-TOU-5 customers whose midday power is already 13.1¢, and anyone whose lease or HOA forbids balcony equipment.

Wait

Homes that already have rooftop solar on NEM or the Solar Billing Plan, until SDG&E says how the two interact. And anyone who wants the 4-9pm problem solved, which a plug-in panel without storage doesn't do. See home battery under NEM 3.

If your real problem is a bill that suddenly jumped, start with the cheap checks in electric bill too high before buying hardware.

Renters, landlords and HOAs

SB 868 takes the utility out of the way. It doesn't take your landlord or HOA out of the way. The Southern California Rental Housing Association was listed "oppose unless amended" in the June 2026 analysis, and the final text still has no landlord, tenant or HOA provisions.

Read your lease and any HOA rules about balcony items, railings, drilling and weight.
Ask in writing. Mention that it's a certified, plug-in, removable device and that SB 868 doesn't require utility approval.
Think about wind and falling-object risk on upper floors. Mounting is your responsibility, and no part of SB 868 addresses it.

open Whether California's other solar-access laws reach a plug-in device on a rented or HOA balcony is a legal question SB 868 doesn't answer. If it matters for your building, ask a lawyer or your HOA's counsel.

Still open until the rules are written

open Certified products: when the first full kits are certified as plug-in PV systems (UL 3700 framework or equivalent), and what they'll require at the outlet.
open SDG&E registration: whether SDG&E will require the online form, and what happens if you don't file it. The committee analysis called the consequence "unclear."
open CPUC: the committee analysis notes the CPUC asked in a scoping memo (R.25-08-004) whether these devices belong under Rule 21. SB 868 now exempts qualifying devices, but the CPUC may still set rules for devices that don't qualify.
open Exports and metering: how SDG&E bills, or doesn't bill, any power that flows back out.
open After 2030: §8531's protections expire January 1, 2030 unless extended, while the §8532 sales rule starts that day.

We'll refresh this page as SDG&E, the CPUC and certification labs publish details.

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Questions

Is balcony solar legal in California?

Yes, starting January 1, 2027, for devices that qualify. SB 868 was approved by the Governor on September 30, 2026 (Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026). It covers a plug-in solar device with no more than 1,200 watts of AC output per dwelling that plugs into a receptacle, is meant to offset your own use, meets the National and California Electrical Codes, and is certified as a plug-in PV system by UL or an equivalent lab, with a certified feature that stops backfeeding during an outage. A device that misses any of those conditions does not get the law's protections.

Do I need SDG&E's permission to use plug-in solar?

Not for a qualifying device. Under SB 868, a utility like SDG&E cannot require you to get its approval, pay a fee related to the device or its electricity, or install extra equipment. SDG&E may require you to fill out a simple online registration form with your address and the device's make, model and size, but that form cannot be an approval step. These protections are written to expire January 1, 2030.

Can renters use plug-in solar in California?

SB 868 removes the utility barrier for renters, but it says nothing about landlords, leases or HOAs. The bill text contains no landlord, tenant or HOA provisions, so your lease, building rules and HOA rules about balconies, railings and mounting still apply. Ask your landlord or HOA in writing before you hang anything.

Do I get paid for power a plug-in solar panel sends to the grid?

Not under anything SB 868 says. The law defines a qualifying device as one intended to offset your own onsite use and exempts it from interconnection, which is the usual path into net metering or the Net Billing Tariff. It does not create any export credit. How SDG&E will meter or bill any power that flows back out is not settled yet, so plan on value only from power you use at home.

How much can a balcony solar panel save in San Diego?

Example only: NREL's PVWatts estimates an 800-watt array near Solana Beach makes about 754 kWh a year hung vertically facing south, or about 1,302 kWh tilted 20 degrees south. If you use all of it at home on SDG&E's TOU-DR1 plan at 37.4 to 46.4 cents per kWh (summer, non-CCA, effective August 1, 2026), that is roughly $280 to $600 a year. On EV-TOU-5, where midday power is 13.1 cents in summer, it is far less. Rates change - check sdge.com for today's numbers.

Sources checked for this page

Checked 2026-10-01. The bill text and official sources win over anything written here. This is decision help, not legal advice.

Know someone who needs this?

Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.

More free local tools: the North County toolkit.