#balconysolar — Public Fediverse posts

#balkon #kraftwerk for the win ✊ :awesome:

https://spacedaily.com/b-more-than-a-million-german-households-have-hung-solar-panels-off-their-balcony-railings-and-plugged-them-into-a-wall-socket-and-the-law-caps-each-at-800-watts-a-fridge-and-a-laptop/

#balconysolar #solarstrom

New Jersey

☀️ New Jersey now allows qualifying plug-in solar panels under 1,200 watts without utility approval.
💰 Gov. Mikie Sherrill says the systems could cut typical electric bills by up to $50 a month.
🏠 Landlords, HOAs and towns can no longer ban or require permits for qualifying balcony solar.

https://nj1015.com/balcony-solar-panels-no-approval-needed/
#BalconySolar

UK just made balcony (plug-in) solar legal and it’s already on sale, with kits starting around $1,000–1,300. Germany’s had a million Balkonkraftwerke for years. NZ is racing ahead.
Meanwhile more than three million Aussie renters and apartment dwellers are locked out of solar because our rules are stuck in the past.
Portable panels you can plug in, take with you when you move, slash bills by $300–400 a year, and pay for themselves in about three years. No electrician needed.
Energy Ministers need to set clear standards (safety shut-off, around 800 W cap, simple registration) and let people power their own homes.
If it’s good enough for the Poms, Germans and Kiwis…

#Solar #ClimateAction #EnergyJustice #BalconySolar #Renewables

https://reneweconomy.com.au/pressure-mounts-to-make-balcony-solar-legal-in-australia-as-it-goes-on-sale-in-the-uk/

@ifixcoinops
Oh I hope so! “promise you right now Aldi are rubbing their hands together and figuring summat out for the middle aisle”. Can’t wait! 😀🙏🏻

#balconySolar #goAldi

Californians! Call Governor Newsom at 916.445.2841 and ask him to sign SB868, the "balcony solar" bill into law! Plug-in solar is affordable and easy—just point at the sun and plug into a regular electrical outlet. By enabling millions of Californians to generate their own electricity with plug-in solar panels, this measure tackles the affordability, energy, and climate crises together.

#solar #balconysolar

So, all 400 of you are in your new student accommodation block. Just one lucky student gets to plug in their balcony solar ;)

How do you pick?

#BackToSchool #BalconySolar

@bfaliszek @stfn @m0bi problem w tym, że umowa z operatorem nie jest prostą rzeczą bo operator może odmówić instalacji albo zaproponować warunki, przy których mała instalacja po prostu się nie zwróci.

Cała istota #balconySolar jest taka, że nie potrzebujesz osobnej umowy i jedny koszt dla ciebie to koszt paneli z mikroinwerterem.

🇬🇧☀️🔌 #PlugInSolar will be legal in the UK from tomorrow.

There is already a #balconysolar savings & payback calculator: https://balconysolarhub.co.uk/savings-calculator/

RE: https://ioc.exchange/@TimChaffee/117116852329947261

Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday !

#BalconySolar #BalconySolarKits

#PlugInSolar Panels Are Starting to Sprout in #US Backyards

Ten U.S. states have legalized systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets. The technology typically does not require permits or electricians.

By Ivan Penn and Claire Brown
Published July 31, 2026, Updated Aug. 3, 2026

Excerpt: "Millions of Americans worried about rising energy costs might soon follow in her footsteps as states start allowing homeowners and renters to plug in solar panels on balconies, in backyards and other places. Plug-in systems are much smaller and cheaper than rooftop build-outs — some costing just a few hundred dollars a panel. Permits are not required in the states that allow their use, and people can often install them on their own.

"Utah became the first state to legalize plug-in solar systems last year. Nine others, including New Jersey, Virginia and Colorado, have joined it, and lawmakers in California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and several other states are considering doing so."

Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/business/energy-environment/plug-in-balcony-solar.html

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/0yRS2

#SolarPunkSunday #BackyardSolar #Renewables #SolarEnergy #BalconySolar #RenewablesNow

@enobacon @MCDuncanLab @ai6yr
My ideal is for them to install #solar awnings over our sun-baked windows to power the cooling machines (of whatever type)

On the hottest sunniest days, the shade would dramatically cool our apartments, and the solar would power the devices that would further keep us safe

Somebody should invent a #BalconySolar setup like that for people with no balcony

#NinaMunteanu Talks to CBC About #Solarpunk (in #Toronto and Elsewhere)

May 3, 2026

Excerpts:

"On the Emerging Solarpunk Movement in Toronto:

When asked about whether there is a solarpunk movement in Toronto, I said absolutely! #SolarpunkToronto is an emerging movement focused on building a #sustainable, #equitable future through #CommunityAction, #GreenArchitecture, and #RenewableEnergy, specifically tailored for the city’s urban environment. It includes initiatives like sustainable fashion shows, community meetings, and innovative #storytelling, aimed at merging environmental activism with optimistic technology. The mantra is to achieve a regenerative sustainable urban future.

I mentioned #LindsayJane of the Solarpunk Scene (Youtube videos on Solarpunk projects in Toronto) and Ariel of Solarpunk Presents with podcast interviews on solarpunk efforts. People can find community on the Solarpunk Facegroup group. I also talked about the #TorontoSolarpunkMeetup at the #CentreForSocialInnovation, where they practice ' #PrefigurativeLife ’: living as if the #SustainableFuture already exists. Which it does, though not everywhere.

This reminds me of #cyberpunk science fiction author #WilliamGibson’s famous quote: The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed.

Examples of solarpunk initiatives practiced by individuals and small communities include the use of #CommunityGardens, setting up and looking after #RooftopGardens or #raingardens. Tenants can have a #PollinatorGarden on their patio and set up a #BalconySolar panel (now very affordable). People are going electric; some are setting up solar rooftops or balconies. Groups and individuals are engaging in clothing swaps and sustainable fashion runways.

Community-led trusts are involved in repairing items for reuse instead of adding to the throw-away culture. In my book #ADiaryInTheAgeOfWater the diarist’s mother Una rides her bike all over the community, repairing all kinds of things for a community that has lost its ability to do so; something we’re losing in this digital age.

On a Solarpunk Future:

We discussed the feasibility of a city like Toronto becoming 100% solarpunk. My response was a wary yes. Of course it was possible. But, in my opinion, two things have to happen for this to succeed: 1) the willingness of individuals in a community to give up a consumer-led capitalist lifestyle and adopt a lighter gentler footprint; and 2) community and city leaders to be on board with it. The enthusiastic cooperation of leaders cannot be overstressed for a paradigm shift toward a solarpunk future to succeed."

Read more:
https://ninamunteanu.me/2026/05/03/nina-talks-to-cbc-about-solarpunk-in-toronto-and-elsewhere/

#SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #TheFutureIsNow #WeNeedOurNeighbors #SolarPunkFuture #ParadigmShift #SolarPunkWriters

Balcony Solar: $1.74/watt direct plug-in solar

https://www.brightsaver.org/balcony-solar-kits

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49101849

#HackerNews #BalconySolar #SolarEnergy #RenewableEnergy #CleanTech #SustainableLiving

@ecb Some more designs: Houses with #balconysolar and a PV Pioneer!

#Finland must implement European Commission recommendation 1007/2026 to "remove regulatory obstacles for #PlugInBatteries and #balconySolar PV installations up to 800 W"

-Finnish consumers are at disadvantage compared to several other EU countries

-The #Balkonkraftwerk helps #Climate & #Resilience

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:fnej4obvslyxohs3sn74mlcb/post/3mrg7hcu3t22b

#UK households free to install #balconysolar panels from end of August

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jul/23/uk-households-free-install-plug-in-balcony-solar-panels

$1.23/Watt is an incredible price for solar PV in the US.

If you're in one of the 8 states that allow plug-in solar, or in one of the 33 states that have introduced legislation, think about where you could fit this bad boy.
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/balcony-panel-bright-saver-deal

#solar #balconysolar

His Majesty’s Britannic Government has published its “Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification” Version 1.

We see this as good step forward to finally legalise #pluginsolar in #Britain buuuuuuuuuuut we have the impression that some of the lest necessary and most unsubstantiated regulations from ze Tscherman DIN VDE V 0126-95 have been copied.

A prohibition of Y-connectors has no base in safety literature and hinders the reuse of used solar panels.

The provision requiring matching connector pairs from the same product family has no evidence in safety studies and literature.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5795be822fbe6b8245c9f1/plug-in-solar-interim-product-specification-withdrawn.pdf

#pluginsolar #pluginpv #uk #balconysolar

Balcony solar at cost! Too bad they're not yet legal in WA!
#solar #BalconySolar #USSolar

A new deal on balcony solar just dropped in the US | Canary Media
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/balcony-panel-bright-saver-deal

GREEN ALERT!!!

Brightsaver is now doing balcony solar orders at-cost. Get a panel for your balcony in 47 states of the US for $300 (member price). Non-members pay $500. Pre-orders now, shipping starts in August. Normalize solar. Get you a portable battery and you just might be prepared for blackouts too.

https://www.brightsaver.org/balcony-solar-kits

#Solar #BalconySolar

Weekly output: teens + AI chatbots, Android updates, Trump on data-center energy use, Archer + Starlink, balcony solar, customer feedback, CDA 230 + AI, Bluetooth updates

BARCELONA–It’s a treat to be able to start off a post with this dateline. This is the 13th trip that’s afforded me that opportunity and the 12th involving MWC. But this trip isn’t like the ones before it in one way; on my way across the Atlantic, my country started a war of choice because the president felt like it. The world is better without Iran’s worthless, murdering theocrat Ali Khameni, but I have little confidence in the Trump administration’s ability to do the right things for that long-suffering country.

In addition to the links you see below, Patreon readers got a bonus post from me in which I shared lessons learned from more than 10 years of booking Airbnbs.

2/24/2026: Most Teens Use AI for Homework Help. 10% Let It Do Everything, PCMag

Getting an advance copy of this new study from the Pew Research Center gave me a chance to note a new student-understudy chatbot called Einstein and quiz the CEO behind that app.

2/25/2026: Android Update Puts Gemini AI In the Driver’s Seat for Ride-Hail, Food Orders, PCMag

I have somehow become PCMag’s Android-updates guy. This report included a little testimony about Google’s call-scam-detection feature misfiring for me, an important bit of context to include in a post telling readers about Google bringing that tool to Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 series of phones.

2/25/2026: As Energy Costs Soar, Trump Pushes AI Giants to ‘Produce Their Own Electricity’, PCMag

I didn’t watch the entire State of the Union address because self-care is an important thing, but after reading about President Trump’s call for data-center operators to pay for their electricity and power infrastructure, I knew I’d have to write about that initiative.

2/27/2028: Archer Aviation Taps Starlink for Air Taxi Connectivity, PCMag

I still don’t quite get the point of adding Starlink connectivity to aircraft that won’t fly longer than 15 minutes or higher than 4,000 feet above major cities, but this was an easy post to crank out Friday morning before heading to Dulles that afternoon to start my journey to Spain.

2/28/2026: After Years of Shining in Europe, Balcony Solar Comes Out of the Dark in the US, PCMag

This story had been in the works for literally months–I took the photo you see at the top of the piece on the afternoon that I arrived in Berlin for IFA in September–but the policy picture has also changed dramatically, and for the better, over the intervening months.

2/28/2026: What’s the Best Way to Get Customer Feedback in 2026? Hint: It’s Not Email, PCMag

Two weeks after the customer-experience firm Medallia had me at its annual conference in Vegas (with my hotel covered upfront and my airfare to be reimbursed), PCMag ran my recap of what I learned there.

3/1/2026: Online Platforms Are Not Liable for What Users Post. Should That Include Gen AI?, PCMag

I spent Thursday at the Cato Institute for this enlightening conference marking the 30th anniversary of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 act that bars you from suing an online platform for something that one of its users posted.

3/1/2026: Bluetooth Is Getting an Upgrade. Here’s What It Means for Your Devices, PCMag

I took almost all of the notes for this at CES in January, but I needed more time to confirm some details and then write the post, after which its lack of a news peg left it easy to set aside for a bit.