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Could Plug-In Solar Take Off in California?

The more accessible alternative to rooftop solar can hang from an apartment balcony, out a window, or be tented in the backyard.
Rupert Mayer tests the newly installed solar panels at Matthew Milner’s home in Kensington on May 23, 2025 (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)

If you want solar power in your home, you usually need to be a homeowner with a good roof and a decent amount of cash to pay up front.

But some Bay Area residents are trying out plug-in solar, which can hang from an apartment balcony, out a window, or be tented in the backyard.

This episode originally aired on August 13, 2025.

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

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