Behind the Bill: How Utah Helped Launch America’s Plug-In Solar Movement

By PlugInSolarUS Editorial · Published June 17, 2026 · 14 min read

Rep. Raymond Ward explains how one narrow state-law fix became the first U.S. pathway for small plug-in solar — and why safety standards remain the key to mainstream adoption.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of PluginSolarUS.com’s “Behind the Bill” series, which explores how different states are approaching plug-in solar legislation, consumer access, safety, and implementation. The article is based on an interview with Utah Rep. Raymond Ward, public legislative materials, and additional background research. It reflects the status of Utah’s plug-in solar law and related standards as of the publication date. Product certification, electrical code requirements, utility practices, and implementation rules may continue to evolve. For a full overview of Utah’s plug-in solar status, see our Utah state page.

When Rep. Raymond Ward first read about plug-in solar in Germany, his reaction was simple: why couldn’t Americans buy the same thing?

The product seemed straightforward. In Germany and parts of Europe, consumers were buying small solar systems that could be placed on balconies, patios, or other small spaces and connected to a home electrical system. The systems were already gaining traction with ordinary consumers. For Ward, the idea felt practical, useful, and appealing.

“It was a product that seemed to be working well. It was a product that I would be interested in having, and yet I couldn’t even get it at all in the United States.”

That question — why not here? — eventually led Utah to become the first U.S. state to create a clear state-law pathway for small plug-in solar.

In 2025, Utah passed H.B. 340, the Solar Power Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Ward in the House and Sen. Wayne Harper in the Senate. The bill created a new category for small portable solar generation devices, allowing systems up to 1,200 watts to avoid the same utility-contract requirements that apply to full rooftop solar systems, provided they meet defined safety and code requirements.

For Ward, the bill was not about forcing anyone to buy plug-in solar. It was about removing an unnecessary barrier so that consumers who want these products can eventually buy them safely and legally.

“I just want the products available. Whatever the consumer wants, they can come get.”

The Barrier Was Not One Federal Ban

Ward initially assumed there might be some federal rule preventing plug-in solar from reaching the U.S. market. But after looking into it, he found a more complicated answer.

There was not one single law banning plug-in solar. Instead, the barriers were scattered across state utility rules, product safety standards, electrical codes, and market practices.

One Utah-specific barrier stood out. Under state law, a customer who plugged solar into the grid was generally required to have a contract with the utility. Ward said that kind of contract makes sense for a full rooftop solar system, where a homeowner may export meaningful amounts of electricity and seek compensation from the utility.

But a small plug-in solar device is different.

“These panels are maybe one-tenth as big as your whole roof full. You are not asking the utility for anything. If you leak a little power onto the grid, the utility is not going to pay you anything.”

In that context, Ward argued, requiring the same kind of utility agreement did not make sense.

H.B. 340 created a narrow exception. If a small portable solar generation device is under 1.2 kilowatts, meets applicable safety standards, complies with the National Electrical Code, and the customer does not expect payment from the utility for exported power, then the customer does not need the same utility contract required for larger solar systems.

A Narrow Bill with Practical Compromises

Ward said he approached the utility early because he knew it would care about the bill. Utility engineers met with him, and the utility agreed not to oppose the legislation if certain conditions were included.

Those conditions included no obligation for the utility to pay for excess exported electricity, no utility liability if a customer misuses the product, and compliance with UL standards and the National Electrical Code.

“All those caveats were in there because the utility said, we will campaign against it unless you put those in. But I agree those were all reasonable things to put in.”

That early compromise helped make Utah’s bill unusually smooth. Ward said the utility did not come to committee to oppose the bill, and there was no major organized opposition.

“I had a few other people who came and advocated for the bill, but mostly I didn’t have any enemies.”

The bill passed unanimously in both chambers. Ward was candid that this did not necessarily mean every lawmaker had studied plug-in solar deeply. Rather, the bill had a few supporters, reasonable safety conditions, and no strong opposition.

That may be one of the most important lessons from Utah: the first plug-in solar bill passed not because it solved every issue, but because it focused on one practical barrier and addressed enough concerns to keep key stakeholders neutral.

Utah Opened the Door, but the Market Still Needs Standards

Even with Utah’s law in place, Ward emphasized that state legislation alone cannot create a full consumer market.

The next major bottleneck is product certification.

Ward compared plug-in solar to other consumer electrical products. Before a toaster or appliance reaches major retail shelves, it typically needs to be certified against recognized safety standards. Major retailers often rely on those certifications before stocking products.

The same issue applies to plug-in solar. Utah can remove a state-law barrier, but national retailers are unlikely to sell plug-in solar products widely until manufacturers can certify them against an accepted safety standard.

“Until Underwriter Laboratories makes a standard, you won’t be able to buy it at Walmart or Ikea.”

Ward pointed to Germany’s experience as an example. In Germany, the relevant safety body created a standard for the product category, which allowed the market to grow. In the United States, Ward said, the standards process has lagged behind the technology and consumer demand.

UL has since created UL 3700 for plug-in photovoltaic products, but Ward said the process still needs to mature into a final, practical certification pathway that manufacturers can use at scale.

“The first big step is Underwriter Laboratories needs to make a final standard. Because most of the ways that we buy things rely on those standards for the vendors who sell them.”

Consumer Choice, Not Consumer Persuasion

When asked who benefits most from plug-in solar, Ward did not frame the issue around one narrow demographic.

His answer was rooted in consumer choice.

“Who would benefit the most because you can buy a toaster? It’s just a product. People should be able to buy it.”

That does not mean the economics are the same everywhere. Ward noted that consumers in high-electricity-cost markets may see much faster payback than consumers in Utah, where power prices are relatively low.

He said German consumers may recover the purchase cost of a system in roughly two to two-and-a-half years because of higher electricity prices. In Utah, he estimated the payback may be closer to 10 years under current conditions.

But Ward also argued that U.S. costs are still artificially high because the category is not yet sold as a normal mass-market consumer product. If standards, laws, and retail channels develop, he expects product costs to fall.

“If this were being sold as a widespread consumer item, without all the other tariff costs and other added costs, those costs also will come down a lot once we start allowing it to be sold.”

In other words, Utah’s bill may matter even if Utah itself is not the highest-savings market. It creates a legal precedent that can help build a national market, which could bring down costs for everyone.

A Gateway to Broader Distributed Energy

Ward sees plug-in solar as more than a small consumer gadget. He views it as a first step toward modernizing how homes connect to solar, batteries, and other distributed energy products.

If safety standards can be developed for small plug-in solar systems, he said, similar thinking could eventually apply to larger solar systems. For example, medium-scale solar systems could someday be installed with dedicated outlets or circuits designed specifically for safe connection, potentially reducing installation complexity and cost.

“With the right safety standards in place, those also could be installed and then plugged in.”

He also connected plug-in solar to batteries and home backup power. In Germany, he noted, many companies that sell plug-in solar also sell batteries. Batteries create a different value proposition: they can help provide backup power when the grid goes down.

Ward also pointed to electric vehicles as an example of underused home energy assets. Many Americans already own large batteries in the form of EVs, but current codes and standards often make it difficult to use those batteries to power homes during outages.

“People have batteries in their homes all the time in their electric vehicle, which right now they are not allowed to use to power their home during a power outage.”

For Ward, plug-in solar is part of a broader consumer-energy question: can people safely buy and use distributed energy products that give them more options, more resilience, and more control?

His answer is yes — but only if safety standards and codes evolve.

“You have to have safety standards in place in order for that to function.”

Distributed Power Where It Is Used

The conversation also touched on rising electricity demand, including demand from artificial intelligence data centers. Ward was careful not to overstate plug-in solar’s role in solving such a large-scale problem.

AI data centers, he said, require power “completely out of proportion” to ordinary household electricity demand. In some cases, data centers are now considering building their own dedicated power plants.

But Ward did identify one advantage of distributed solar: it produces electricity at the place it is used.

“Plug-in solar doesn’t need to build any power lines. You’re producing it at the spot you’re using it.”

That does not make plug-in solar a solution to industrial-scale energy demand. But it does highlight one of the broader benefits of distributed energy: every kilowatt-hour produced and consumed on-site can reduce some need for transmission, distribution, and centralized infrastructure.

What Other States Can Learn from Utah

After Utah acted, other states began considering plug-in solar legislation. Ward said that is exactly what he hoped would happen.

The lesson, in his view, is not that every state should copy Utah word for word. Each state has different utility rules, political dynamics, housing types, and safety concerns. But every state that discusses the issue adds pressure to modernize the system.

“Every place that talks about it is a little bit more pressure. People need to ask for this in order for the other groups to take action.”

Ward said some states have faced more opposition than Utah did, including from utilities, UL, and electrical unions. Utah may have benefited from moving first, before organized opposition had formed.

Still, the path forward is clear: state laws can remove state-level barriers, while standards bodies and code committees must address product safety and installation rules.

Ward’s advice to advocates is to keep pushing on multiple fronts. Consumers should tell lawmakers they want access to these products. Technical experts should engage in standards and code processes. Legislators should identify and remove unnecessary state-law barriers.

“There’s just a whole bunch of different little steps to take. But it all starts with people wanting the product and letting their representatives know that they want the product.”

The Next Phase: From Legal Permission to Retail Shelves

Utah’s law made plug-in solar legally possible in a new way. But Ward is clear that the bigger goal is normal consumer availability.

Today, a motivated consumer may be able to find products online. But for plug-in solar to become mainstream, Ward wants consumers to see safe, certified products in ordinary retail channels.

He described the future in simple terms: a person walks into a store, sees a product, knows it has passed safety certification, and decides whether it makes sense for their home.

That is why Ward returns again and again to safety standards. To him, standards are not the enemy of consumer access. They are what make consumer access possible.

Safety standards give retailers confidence. They give consumers confidence. They give utilities and electricians a common framework. And they give manufacturers a target to build toward.

The product should be available, Ward said, but it should be available safely.

A First Step in a National Movement

Utah’s H.B. 340 did not solve every problem facing plug-in solar. It did not create a national product standard. It did not rewrite the National Electrical Code. It did not guarantee that every renter, homeowner, or apartment resident can use plug-in solar tomorrow.

What it did was remove one state-law barrier and show that a legislature could make room for a new category of consumer energy product.

That alone was enough to change the national conversation.

Before Utah, plug-in solar was mostly a European story. After Utah, lawmakers in other states had a concrete U.S. example to study, adapt, and improve.

Ward does not see his role as convincing every consumer to buy a plug-in solar system. He believes the market will work the way consumer markets usually work: early adopters will try it, neighbors will see it, prices will fall, and demand will grow if the product proves useful.

“What will happen, if we ever got it so people could buy them normally, is after a year or two, three people on their street would have one. And they’d talk to their neighbor… and they’d say, hey, I want one of those too.”

That is Ward’s vision: not a mandate, not a subsidy-first program, and not a complicated bureaucracy.

Just a safe product, a clear legal pathway, and the freedom for consumers to choose.

Utah’s bill was the first step. The next steps now belong to other states, standards bodies, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.

Source Notes

Primary sources:

• Interview with Rep. Raymond Ward, sponsor of Utah H.B. 340 / Solar Power Amendments.
• Utah Legislature materials for H.B. 340 / Solar Power Amendments.
• Public information on UL 3700, plug-in photovoltaic product safety standards, and related electrical-code considerations.
• Background research on plug-in solar adoption in Germany and emerging U.S. state legislation.

Direct quotes from Rep. Ward have been lightly edited for clarity and readability without changing their meaning.

Sources

• Rep. Raymond Ward, sponsor of Utah H.B. 340
• Utah Legislature: H.B. 340 Solar Power Amendments
• UL 3700: Standard for Plug-In Photovoltaic Products