r/pluginsolarusa

Just wanted to share whats happening in Germany right now because I feel like the rest of the world doesnt really know about it. We have this thing called Balkonkraftwerk which is basically a plug and play solar panel you stick on your balcony, 800W max feed in. Theres now like 3 million of these installed and the storage market is exploding because people realized they produce way more than they use during the day. The interesting part is the new regulations keep the 800W feed-in limit but panel input can go well beyond 2000W now, some systems take up to 5.000 Wp of panels, so with storage you can capture everything the panels make and use it at night. Brands are competing hard right now on capacity, cycle count, smart features. Some are doing 5kWh single units, others are modular. Its like the early days of powerwall but for apartments

Pennsylvania HB 1971 was introduced in October 2025 and has some of the strongest bipartisan support of any plug-in solar bill in the United States - including 3 Republican co-sponsors. That said, the bill has sat for eight months and has not moved in the PA House Energy Committee. PA ranks 47th in the US for renewable energy growth and the state sorely needs broader support for solar statewide, including community solar and plug-in solar legislation.

Please help move HB 1971 forward by contacting bill sponsor Chris Pielli, Energy Committee Chair Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, and the other 32 other co-sponsors of this bill.

The bill has the co-sponsors — what it needs now is constituent pressure to get it out of committee. Reaching out to your rep takes about 5 minutes. Call and email.

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1971