The Duck Curve#balcony solar
MiSpeL lets German home batteries mix grid power, on direct-marketing terms
Germany's Bundesnetzagentur adopted the MiSpeL determination on October 1, 2026, letting batteries and bidirectional EV charge points store grid power alongside solar while keeping the EEG market premium on the solar share and levy relief on stored grid power. The premium requires direct marketing, the flat-rate option for arrays up to 30 kWp awaits EU state-aid approval, and until September 30, 2027 use needs grid and meter operator consent.
Newsom signs SB 868, California's plug-in solar law, as Chapter 985
Governor Gavin Newsom approved SB 868 on September 30, 2026; it was chaptered the same day as Chapter 985, Statutes of 2026. The law adds Sections 8530 to 8532 to the Public Utilities Code: a portable solar generation device meeting six conditions, including no more than 1,200 watts of aggregated AC output per dwelling and UL or equivalent certification, is exempt from interconnection requirements and from utility approval, fees and added equipment. The exemption section is repealed on January 1, 2030, when a sales standard for receptacle-connected devices begins.
New Jersey exempts balcony solar up to 1,200 W from utility sign-off
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Garden State Balcony Solar Act (S2368) on September 1, 2026, exempting plug-in solar devices of up to 1,200 watts from utility interconnection agreements and net-metering requirements, with new limits on landlord, homeowner-association, and municipal bans. The law takes effect six months after enactment, in early March 2027.