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Enrolled
August 28, 2026 |
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Passed
IN
Senate
August 26, 2026 |
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Passed
IN
Assembly
August 25, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
August 20, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
August 17, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
June 15, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
April 07, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
March 23, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
March 05, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 868
| Introduced by Senator Wiener (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Schultz) (Coauthors: Senators Arreguín, Becker, and McNerney) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Boerner, Connolly, Davies, Irwin, Kalra, Petrie-Norris, Schiavo, and Ward) |
January 05, 2026 |
An act to add Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 8530) to Division 4.1 of, and to repeal Section 8531 of, the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 868, Wiener.
Electricity: portable solar generation devices.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards.
This bill would, until January 1, 2030, exempt a portable solar generation device, as defined, from all interconnection requirements imposed by state law, the commission, electrical corporation rules, or local publicly owned electric utility rules, as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2030, prohibit an electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility from requiring a customer using a portable solar generation device to take specified actions, including, among other things, paying any fee or charge related to the device or the electricity the device feeds into a building’s electrical
system. The bill would, until January 1, 2030, authorize an electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility to require a customer using a portable solar generation device to notify the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility, using a simple online registration form, of the address, make, model, and size of the portable solar generation device, as provided. Beginning January 1, 2030, the bill would prohibit the sale of a portable photovoltaic energy generation device that is designed to be connected to and disconnected from a building’s electrical system through a receptacle and does not
meet the definition of a portable solar generation device, as specified.
Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because a violation of a commission action implementing the bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Additionally, by imposing new duties on local publicly owned electric utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) Electricity is an essential resource, especially on hot summer days.
(2) The rising cost of electricity is a barrier to basic necessities.
(3) Interconnection fees and processes can add substantial costs and time to the adoption of customer-sited solar and energy storage projects.
(4) It is the policy of the state to promote and encourage the use of solar energy systems and
to limit obstacles to their use.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the installation of solar energy systems by removing obstacles to, and minimizing the costs of, those systems.
SEC. 2.
Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 8530) is added to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, to read:CHAPTER 13. Portable Solar Generation Devices
8530.
For purposes of this chapter, all of the following definitions apply:(a) “Electrical corporation” has the same meaning as defined in Section 218.
(b) “Local publicly owned electric utility” has the same meaning as defined in Section 224.3.
(c) “Portable solar generation device” means a photovoltaic energy generation device, or combination of devices, that meets all of the following conditions:
(1) Has a maximum aggregated AC output of no more than 1,200 watts per dwelling.
(2) Is designed to be connected to and disconnected from a building’s electrical system through a receptacle.
(3) Is intended to offset the customer’s onsite electricity consumption.
(4) Meets the standards of the most recent version of the National Electrical Code and the California Electrical Code (Part 3 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations).
(5) Is certified as a plug-in photovoltaic system by Underwriters
Laboratories, or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory.
(6) Includes a feature, certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, that isolates the portable solar generation device from the building’s electrical system to prevent the portable solar generation device from backfeeding electricity to the electrical grid during a power outage.
8531.
(a) A portable solar generation device is exempt from all interconnection requirements imposed by state law, the commission, electrical corporation rules, or local publicly owned electric utility rules, including, but not limited to, any requirement to enter into an interconnection agreement.(b) An electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility shall not require a customer using a portable solar generation device to do any of the following:
(1) Obtain the electrical corporation’s or local publicly owned electric utility’s approval before installing or using the portable solar generation
device.
(2) Pay any fee or charge related to the portable solar generation device or the electricity the portable solar generation device feeds into a building’s electrical system.
(3) Install any additional controls or equipment beyond what is integrated into the portable solar generation device.
(c) An electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility may require a customer using a portable solar generation device to notify the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility, using a simple online registration form, of the
address, make, model, and size of the portable solar generation device. The notification shall not require approval of the customer’s use of the portable solar generation device by the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility.
(d) Any device that does not meet all of the conditions listed in subdivision (c) of Section 8530 does not qualify as a portable solar generation device under this chapter and therefore does not qualify for the exemptions established pursuant to this section.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.