What the law says
Utah House Bill 340 took effect on May 7, 2025. It created something Utah law did not have before, a category called the portable solar generation device. That is a solar panel small enough to plug into a normal wall socket.
The law says the device must have "a maximum power output of not more than 1,200 watts". It has to plug into a standard 120 volt outlet, the kind already in every room of the house. It has to be certified by Underwriters Laboratories or a similar testing lab. And it has to turn off by itself during a power outage, so it cannot push electricity into the wires while a repair crew is working on them.
What you can now do yourself
You can now put up a plug in solar panel yourself. Before this law, adding solar to your home meant asking the power company first. You signed an interconnection agreement, which is a contract that covers equipment sending power back into the grid, and you hired someone to wire the panels in.
None of that applies now to a device under 1,200 watts. You buy it, you hang it on a rail or a fence, and you plug it in. The power company may not require its approval first, may not charge you a fee for it, and may not make you add extra equipment.
Skipping the installer is most of the savings. Rooftop solar costs about 2.60 dollars per watt before any tax credit, and that price pays for the crew and the paperwork as well as the panels. A plug in kit costs 1.23 dollars per watt, because you are the crew.
What a kit costs
The 4 amounts add up to the full 285.30 dollar price. The nonprofit adds no profit on top.
Show the numbers
| Panel, inverter, cables | 188.50 |
| Fulfillment and shipping | 75.06 |
| Returns reserve | 13.18 |
| Payment processing | 8.56 |
Bright Saver, a nonprofit, sells a 180 watt kit to members for 285.30 dollars and a 360 watt kit for 414.17 dollars. Membership costs 29 dollars a year. Without it the same 2 kits cost 499 and 699 dollars. The group publishes what every part of the price pays for. 188.50 dollars for the panel, the inverter and the cables, 75.06 dollars to ship it, 13.18 dollars set aside for returns, and 8.56 dollars to process the payment. Profit, 0.00 dollars.
The 2 kit prices include the 29 dollar yearly membership. Rooftop solar is shown before any tax credit, and its price includes installation.
Show the numbers
| IKEA kit, Germany | 0.35 |
| 360 watt kit | 1.23 |
| 180 watt kit | 1.74 |
| Rooftop solar | 2.60 |
Counting the membership fee, that comes to 1.74 dollars for each watt on the small kit and 1.23 dollars for each watt on the larger one.
What a kit saves
California electricity is priced at 0.32 dollars per kilowatt hour. The panels are built to last 25 to 30 years.
Show the numbers
| California | 2.5 to 3 years |
| North Dakota | 7 to 10 years |
A 360 watt kit takes about 150 dollars a year off a California electricity bill and pays for itself in about 3 years. Electricity there costs about 0.32 dollars per kilowatt hour, which is high. In North Dakota, where electricity is cheaper, the same kit needs 7 to 10 years. The hardware is built to last 25 to 30 years, so in both places it keeps earning long after it is paid off.
Where else plug in solar is legal
Germany has allowed these for years. Its energy regulator recorded 430,000 new plug in systems in 2025 alone, which was 3.2% of all the solar the country added that year, up from 2.5% in 2024. The United States still counts its installed kits in the thousands.
Utah was the first state to pass a law like this. About half of all states are now considering one, and Massachusetts and New Jersey each moved a bill forward on July 1, 2026.
It's about energy affordability. Every legislator wants their constituency to have less trouble meeting their energy demands.
Cora Stryker, a founder of the nonprofit Bright Saver. Source 4.