Plug in solar comes to Maine?
Installing solar panels at home is a likely goal for many a climate-minded reader, but they come with many barriers to entry. The upfront costs of the panels are significant, as is the installation. Then there are the “soft costs,” such as permitting and meeting other regulations.
But in Germany, if someone wants to go solar? They can go pick up a panel at the store, go home, and simply plug it in — even if they rent.
These small, portable solar panels — also called “balcony solar” — can be bought for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars and plugged into a standard outlet, where they send power into the home instead of taking it away. Placed on balconies or driveways, or installed on roofs or walls, they’re easily removed and brought to a new home, unlike traditional rooftop solar, making them renter-friendly.
Balcony solar has taken off in Germany, where a panel that can power a refrigerator, charge a laptop or keep the lights on, can cost as little as $500. They’ve become so popular and so widely adopted that these tiny solar panels provide roughly 1 gigawatt of Germany’s energy (equivalent to 300 utility-scale wind turbines or 103 offshore wind turbines).
But so far, they’ve not been a well-known or widely available option in the U.S.
That’s starting to change. The smaller, cheap, low-maintenance panels are garnering bipartisan interest in many states. Utah passed a Republican-sponsored bill in 2025 to allow plug-in solar panels to bypass some of the complicated and costly regulations rooftop solar is beholden to, and similar bills are being introduced in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and elsewhere in 2026 and 2027.
Jack Shapiro at the Natural Resources Council of Maine says this particular solar option would be a great fit for Mainers because of the longstanding culture of homesteading and self-sufficiency here. And, he told planet maine, the panels could help put a dent in Mainers’ sky-high utility bills. They also benefit the grid overall, by alleviating some of the energy burden at key times.
As of right now, buying and installing plug-in solar in Maine is a legal gray zone, Kevin Chou of Bright Saver, a nonprofit balcony solar company, tells planet maine. A quick Amazon search shows you can technically buy the panels and batteries online, but it’s unlikely any electricians will install them, given the lack of legal guidance and that there’s no clear permitting process. Those issues can be ironed out through legislation, he said.
Maine lawmakers are currently considering a proposal to allow plug-in solar, introduced by Democratic state Sen. Nicole Grohoski of Hancock.
“For many of my neighbors, especially those who rent their homes or live in apartments, solar panels seem meant for someone else,” Grohoki said at a Jan. 15 hearing on LD 1730. “If you don’t own your roof or you don’t have thousands of dollars for an upfront investment, the savings that solar generates can feel out of reach.”
The state Department of Energy Resources testified in favor of the proposal, and Public Advocate Heather Sanborn described the small solar panels as “another tool for affordability” for Maine ratepayers, as part of an “all of the above” approach to energy.
But Versant Power testified against the proposal. A representative for the company at the Jan. 15 hearing said that while the company supports customers being able to utilize small-scale solar technology, more rigorous safety considerations are necessary before implementing it.
Even if legislation is passed, there are plenty of possible pitfalls to bringing plug-in solar to Maine. Federal safety regulations for the devices still need to be worked out, and devices need to be in compliance with the National Electrical Code. Until the technology is nationally certified, passing state laws only clear the way — they don’t technically legalize it.
And there are safety concerns to be worked out. Plugging an energy-generating device into a home circuit system can confuse a circuit breaker, keeping it from shutting off power if overloaded. In Germany, regulations limit balcony solar panels to generating no more than 800 watts for this reason — that amount is considered safe for older buildings with antiquated wiring.
A lack of standardized rules has also forced companies that do offer plug-in solar to negotiate with each local utility over interconnection agreements, significantly slowing things down. Maine’s two utility companies, Central Maine Power and Versant, would likely have to sign off on a new type of technology being plugged into the grid, even if the power coming from the device is mostly being used at home — that’s because even though these devices are small, owning multiple panels does mean there’s potential for excess energy to be fed back into the grid.
Still, some states and companies aren’t waiting for regulators to catch up. Bright Saver is running a pilot program in California and Utah, and has already sold panels to over 100 homes.
Stay tuned — there’s sure to be more to come on plug-in solar as this legislative session progresses.
New England turns to oil-burning power plants during cold snap
Climate-polluting oil generators are often used as backup in periods of intense demand. Over the weekend, however, oil plants contributed more than a third of the region's power, according to a review of data from grid operator ISO-New England.
Belgrade Lakes' North Pond to be treated for severe algal bloom
North Pond is one of seven lakes in the interconnected Belgrade Lakes chain. This will be the second lake in the region the alliance will treat for algal blooms, which have plagued lakes in the area for several years.
Maine lawmakers consider public funding for electric infrastructure
Maine lawmakers are debating a new state agency that would use low-interest government borrowing to help pay for electric grid upgrades.
CMP's new Maine power line starts delivering power to New England
Hydroelectric power from Quebec started flowing through a new transmission line in Maine, the culmination of a fraught years-long process aimed at boosting New England's electric supply.
Kennebec dams removal faces opposition from business groups, politicians
The Nature Conservancy last year unveiled a historic plan to purchase the four dams between Waterville and Skowhegan, with a goal of returning the river to its free-flowing state. The deal was championed as a historic development by environmental groups that have worked for decades to restore native sea-run fish to the river. But business groups say the dams’ removal would have negative economic impacts, including job losses in the region.
Health, organic farming advocates concerned after pesticide board approves PFAS products
Pesticides are required to be registered at both the federal and state levels. Federally, the EPA screens applications and conducts a risk assessment before approving or denying registration.
Maine's first law to battle light pollution goes into effect this year
The bill only affects publicly funded lighting, like streetlights or lights on schools or town offices. It requires that new or replacement outdoor lights have to meet certain standards developed by the Illuminating Engineering Society.
Land Use Planning Commission will increase number of commissioners
Commissioners will be appointed to represent the Wabanaki Nations as well as the state’s interests within the 10 and a half million acres of the Unorganized Territory.
During the transition from physical media like CDs to digital music in the 2000s and 2010s, there was a general sense that listening to music on a computer, MP3 player or, eventually, phone, was greener, cleaner. No more plastic CDs, tapes or records, no shiny plastic jewel boxes, no shipping physical media around the world. After all, most vinyl records are nonrecyclable — they’re made of PVC plastic, which takes centuries to break down, meaning most discarded albums could outlive the landfills they’re buried in. CDs are made of layers of aluminum and polycarbonate plastic, which also can’t be recycled because it’s mixed material, meaning broken or damaged discs hang around in landfills, too.
Something about streaming music being less tangible logically must mean it’s more environmentally friendly – right?
But streaming technology, and how we listen to music, has changed rapidly and expanded so much in the past two decades that it may be time to reevaluate that assumption.
When you stream a song, you’re accessing data stored somewhere in a massive data center that needs energy to function and water to keep it cool. There isn’t much independent data on exactly how much carbon emissions can be linked to streaming music, but in 2024, Spotify self-reported emitting nearly 200,000 metric tons of CO2, 98% of which came from cloud infrastructure. It would take over 200,000 acres of forest to sequester all that carbon annually, according to the EPA’s calculator.
Streaming music for more than 5 hours (or listening to the average album roughly 27 times) emits more carbon than it takes to make a physical CD, according to MIT technology review and KPopForPlanet, a grassroots climate campaign out of Korea. Vinyl records are a bit more energy-hungry: you’d have to listen to a record for about 17 hours for that same output.
It’s not as simple as swapping out streaming for physical media, however, once you purchase a CD or record, you can listen to it again and again over the course of its lifetime. But each time you stream a song, it’s being accessed from a server and transmitted to your device over Wi-Fi — and all of that takes energy.
So do we just give up the pleasure of listening to music in our ongoing quest to reduce carbon emissions? Absolutely not. It’s not a simple fix, but there are a few things you can do to lessen the impact:
Assess your listening habits: Do you tend to discover new music all the time, or are you typically listening to a core selection of favorites? However out of style the practice may be, experts agree that one of the most environmentally friendly ways to listen to music is digital downloads. Consider purchasing and downloading your most-listened-to music onto your phone or computer and making yourself some playlists. That way, you can listen to it over and over for years. Save the streaming for new music discovery.
Same goes for your favorite album: Why not get a good old fashioned CD of that one masterpiece and keep it in your car? Or vintage vinyl, if you have a record player? Bonus points for used CDs and albums. Hipster credentials not included.
Consider your listening device: The smaller, the better. You’ll consume 100x less energy if you’re streaming from a phone instead of a 50-inch smart TV, especially if you tend to play videos along with music, like on YouTube or similar.
Try to hang onto your device as long as possible: Smart phones are incredibly energy efficient once they exist, which means 80-90% of their overall carbon footprint comes from manufacturing.
When was the last time you listened to the radio? Subscribers to music streaming services like Spotify report listening habits that pretty much mean streaming all day long — at work, at the gym, while cooking and cleaning. But at home or in the car, a radio will provide entertainment and music all day as well, for far less energy.
Take a page out of Korean pop fans’ books. KPop4Planet is a grassroots organization of music fans in Korea who are worried about climate change. They successfully put pressure on the largest music streaming company in their country, getting the company to commit to going 100% renewable energy by 2030, by petitioning for clean music streaming. Sounds like your favorite streaming service is just waiting for your email, huh?
Till next time,
Molly
planet maine: a climate newsletter is made possible by the generous support of:
