Wouldn’t it be great if you could just buy a couple of solar panels at Walmart in the morning, connect them to your deck in the afternoon, and within a few hours have them set up to generate clean energy that lowers your electric bill?
But that’s not an option for most Americans right now. First, this device is not widely available in US stores. If so, you may have to jump through a series of hoops with your utilities to get them up and running.
Virginia lawmakers are trying to change everything for the state’s residents.
On Wednesday, Virginia’s Democratic-controlled House of Delegates passed a legalization bill. ““Balcony Solar Power” passed with a unanimous bipartisan vote. The Democratic-controlled Senate had already approved the bill with only a few dissenting voices. The bill will soon be sent to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) desk for her signature.
The law, scheduled to go into effect next January, will make Virginia the second state in the nation, after Utah, to treat solar panels like home appliances that can be purchased at a local big-box store and installed on your balcony, garden or anywhere else that gets sunlight.
“This removes all sorts of barriers, not just cost barriers, but time and bureaucracy barriers,” said Victoria Higgins, Virginia director of lobbying for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund, an advocacy nonprofit. “This will make clean energy more accessible to more Virginians, even if they live in apartments or condos or don’t have the funds to install an entire rooftop system. ”
Homeowners and renters alike will be able to purchase and install plug-in solar panels equipped with microinverters that allow the devices to offset a portion of their home’s electricity usage.
