Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Lawmakers weigh safety, standards and billing for plug‑in solar devices
Summary
The committee heard weeks of technical testimony on a proposed framework to let homeowners and renters plug small solar devices into household outlets. Building code officials and utilities urged leaving technical thresholds to UL/NFPA standards (UL 3700/NFPA/NEC) while recommending mandatory consumer disclosure and a lightweight voluntary registry so utilities know where devices are installed.
A bill to authorize ‘plug‑in’ or ‘balcony’ solar generation devices prompted detailed technical scrutiny on April 6. Sponsor Senator David Waters presented an amendment that delegates technical safety parameters to the state Building Code Review Board and references an emerging UL 3700 standard for bidirectional, grid‑connected plug‑in devices.
Building Code Review Board Chair Philip Sherman told the committee the board is not the right body to invent electrical thresholds; UL 3700 and the National Electric Code (NEC) are already developing the necessary product‑listing and wiring…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
