Balcony solar is coming to California. Can renters actually use it?

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Ever since Gov.Gavin Newsom signed the Plug and Play Solar Act last month and opened the door for Californians to plug small solar panels directly into wall outlets without utility permissions, people have been asking: Can renters use this technology? “It’s a bit of an open question,” said Joseph Kaatz, senior staff attorney at the Energy Policy Initiatives Center at the University of San Diego School of Law.“Seems my lease and many others often prohibit actually putting solar on your balcony,” one commenter wrote in an online forum celebrating the new law.Plug-in solar, also known as balcony solar, is often billed as solar for renters, since the panels don’t require access to the roof or costly installation and are lightweight and more portable than traditional solar systems.

In Germany, they’re popular in apartment complexes, where people set them on their patios or hang them on balconies to save money on electric bills.Under the California law that goes into effect in January, residents can buy certified panels under 1200 watts and set them up without getting utility approval, which can be onerous.

But renters may have to navigate another layer of permissions: landlords.Currently it’s unclear whether tenants have the right to set up the panels if property owners don’t want them.California has strong laws that prevent homeowner associations from blocking solar panels or imposing unreasonable restrictions on them, Kaatz said.

The Solar Rights Act, established in the 1970s, was key to resolving conflicts between HOAs and their members and paving the way for solar installations as interest in rooftop panels surged in the 2000s.But the law was designed to apply to homeowners, not renters.

It mainly bars rules around property sales and transfers that would restrict solar.“We’re in a n...