Trump’s Fossil Fuel Fantasy Wilts Under Balcony Solar Pressure
Plug-in balcony solar systems make it easy for homeowners and renters to install their own solar panels and offset the cost of electricity from the grid (cropped, courtesy of UL Solutions via businesswire.com).
May 15, 20261 hour
Tina Casey
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US President Donald Trump was quite on brand when he launched his war against Iran on February 28, sending global fossil fuel prices spiraling upwards. That was no surprise. After all, the entirety of Trump’s “American energy dominance” plan is based on jacking up costs for consumers, by throttling back on low-cost wind and solar power in favor of more expensive fossil energy resources as well as nuclear, too. Nevertheless, the people have spoken. Wind and solar (especially solar) still account for the lion’s share of added capacity on the nation’s grid, and now the balcony solar movement is adding another powerful factor to the small-scale end of the solar industry.
Small Scale Solar: The Invisible Revolution
The US Energy Information Agency regularly tracks the addition of utility-scale generating capacity to the nation’s electricity grid, meaning facilities with a capacity of more than 1 megawatt. Smaller-scale arrays can fly under the media radar, but EIA reports on those resources, too.
Combined, all those small arrays pack a big punch, as summarized in the latest report emailed to CleanTechnica from the Sun Day Campaign. The Sun Day Campaign notes that as of February of this year, EIA calculates that small-scale solar accounts for a cumulative total of 60,197.9 megawatts (a little more than 60 gigawatts) of installed generating capacity in the US, with about 10% of that coming online within the previous 12 months alone.
The latest year-on-year statistics also show a significant role for small-scale solar in the growth of the nation’s solar profile. As detailed in table ES1.B in EIA’s latest Electric Power Monthly Report, between February 2025 and February 2026, small-scale solar capacity grew by an estimated 11.4%. By way of comparison, utility-scale solar (including solar thermal systems as well as the more familiar photovoltaic systems) grew by 23.2%.
Projecting into next year, The Sun Day Campaign noted that if small-scale solar adds another 6 gigawatts by the end of February 2027, all together, renewable energy will account for 39.7% of installed generating capacity in the US. That’s a significant milestone because, all else being equal, the share of natural gas is projected to fall to 38.3% by March 1 of 2027.
“Solar power’s share alone (19.7%) will be almost one-fifth of total U.S. capacity,” the organization emphasized, again citing EIA figures.
The Balcony Solar Factor
Balcony solar systems will add a new twist to the small-scale solar story here in the US because they open up a much wider market than possible with conventional rooftop or ground-mounted arrays.
The up-front cost of conventional solar equipment is substantial, and for the most part it is only accessible to property owners who have the financial wherewithal to buy, borrow, or lease it. Ownership of a sunny roof or a piece of open land is also a prerequisite. That cuts millions of households including renters and apartment dwellers out of the solar power picture, as well as property owners with shaded roofs or limited roof space.
Balcony solar systems are much more accessible. “Balcony” is the nickname for modular, portable, plug-in solar panels designed to be hung from a railing, such as a balcony or fence. They plug into an ordinary household electrical socket, though an assessment by a licensed electrician may be advised. Once plugged in, the solar panels integrate with household wiring to offset electricity demand from the grid. They can simply be unplugged and carried along to the next home as needed.
Balcony solar is a new development in the solar industry, first coming to attention when Ukrainian citizens began using them as a counter-measure against attacks on civilian energy infrastructure after Russia attempted to seize the country in February of 2022.
Germany was the first country to adopt the panels as a formalized decarbonization measure, and uptake was swift. In addition to smoothing the way for property owners to install their own plug-and-play panels, new legislation requires landlords to allow their tenants to take advantage of the trend, too. As early as 2023, 276,000 kits were registered in Germany. SolarPower Europe reports that Germany passed the one million mark last year, and the online tracker Plug-In Solar USA currently calculates more than 4 million installations there.
Here in the US, the impact of widespread balcony solar would be considerable. About nine years ago, for example, researchers at Michigan Technological University estimated the US demand for “plug and play PV” at 57 gigawatts. That’s almost the entire cumulative total of about 60 gigawatts for small-scale solar reported by EIA this year.
Balcony Solar, Coming Soon To A State Near You
The balcony solar movement is finally beginning to take shape here in the US, with Utah laying claim as the first state to permit the systems under law. Another key milestone cropped up earlier this year, when the global-facing US certification laboratory UL Solutions launched a new certification program focusing on balcony solar systems, including safety features.
The new certification program has smoothed the way for other states to stimulate new activity in the plug-in solar field with enabling legislation, including new rules that abolish cumbersome permitting requirements imposed by local utilities. As of this writing, the organization Plug-In Solar USA lists five states with plug-in legislation, including Maine, Virginia, Maryland, and newcomer Colorado along with Utah.
“28+ state legislatures are considering bills to let anyone plug solar panels — balcony solar, apartment solar, plug-in solar — into a wall outlet. No contractors, no permits, no utility approval,” Plug-In Solar USA explains.
If you would like to add your state to the list of early adopters, you can check Plug-In Solar USA for state-by-state bill trackers and templates for contacting your state legislators for support.
In the meantime, Trump’s war against renewable energy is falling flat. Although his exercise of federal authority over wind turbines is having a significant impact, solar and other renewables are more than offsetting the damage.
In the April 27 email, the Sun Day Campaign takes note of EIA’s year on year projection in which renewables absolutely crush other resources in the coming months, adding more than 80 gigawatts in generating capacity by the end of February 2027. In contrast, total fossil and nuclear power capacity is projected to sink by almost 5 gigawatts.
“The combined capacity growth of all renewable energy sources for the 12-month period (57,452.7-MW) is almost 75% greater than that added during the previous 12 months (32,988.9-MW),” Sun Day Campaign elaborates.
“Meanwhile, EIA projects no new generating capacity by nuclear power and a net decline of 4,903.2-MW in fossil fuel capacity,” the organization adds.
As for why Trump has been working overtime to deny low-cost wind and solar a fair chance to compete against fossil and nuclear energy for power generation in the US, that’s a good question. For that matter, Trump has openly embraced other renewables, namely biomass, hydropower, and geothermal energy, too. Even the somewhat obscure field of marine energy has been getting its share of love and attention from the US Department of Energy.
So, why pick on wind and solar? If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the discussion thread.
Photo: Plug-in balcony solar systems make it easy for homeowners and renters to install their own solar panels and offset the cost of electricity from the grid (courtesy of UL Solutions via businesswire.com).
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