Plug-in solar · A reader's library
A working library on the smallest, simplest tier of home solar — a panel you plug into a wall outlet. We test the kits, track the laws, and answer the questions you actually have.
Start here
For renters
Apartment, duplex, basement studio — if you have an outlet and any sun, you have options. What's allowed, what to ask your landlord, what to buy.
For condo & HOA
Condo boards and HOAs hold a lot of cards. Here's how to make the case, what state laws actually protect you, and the panels that don't ruffle feathers.
For homeowners
A plug-in kit costs less than a single rooftop panel and tells you in three months whether full solar is worth the contractor. A good gateway, not a replacement.
Mechanics
Modern kits ship with the inverter glued to the back of the panel. What comes out of the cord is the same 120V AC that lives in your walls.
Your fridge and your router are humming a few feet away. They eat the watts first, before any current can travel back toward the meter. Behind-the-meter, in the trade.
An 800W kit covers 10–30% of an apartment's typical bill — call it $100 to $300 a year. Boring, durable savings for the next twenty.
From the library
Buyer's guide · 14 min
Climate, kit size, electricity rate, and how often you're home all swing the answer by a factor of three. Here's a calculator and a sanity check.
Policy · 6 min
Review · 9 min
Renters · 7 min
Comparison · 11 min
Where you live matters
Plug-in solar is legal almost everywhere — actually permitted almost nowhere, until last year. As of April 2026, three states have passed dedicated laws and two dozen more have bills in flight.
See your state →Two minutes, real number
Type in your zip and your last electric bill. We'll combine NREL irradiance data, your utility's published rate, and a kit size of your choosing — and tell you, honestly, what you'll save and how long it'll take.
Open the full calculator →A note from the editor
“I started this site because my mother-in-law lives in an apartment and was tired of hearing me talk about my rooftop panels. She wanted in. I figured out plug-in solar for her, and then for the neighbor, and then I figured I should write it down.”
Pete Rognli · Editor · St. George, Utah