New York plug-in solar advocates rally in support of SUNNY Act

New York lawmakers passed the SUNNY Act (Solar Up Now NY) in late May, which would legalize "plug-in" or "balcony" solar panels — small solar setups you can plug directly into an outlet, without the permitting and installation that traditional rooftop solar requires. The bill passed with strong support in the Senate (59-1) and a smaller margin in the Assembly (89-47), but Governor Kathy Hochul has not yet signed it, two months after passage.

A group of New York City officials, including the city comptroller, council speaker, and dozens of council members, sent Hochul a letter urging her to sign the bill and held a rally at City Hall Park on July 30. Supporters say plug-in solar would especially help people who rent or live in apartments and co-ops, since they usually cannot install rooftop solar systems. If you live in a house with easy access to a standard outlet, this kind of device could eventually offer a smaller-scale way to generate some of your own power, though details on cost and output are not part of this news.

Under state procedure, once the bill is formally sent to the governor, she has 10 days to act on it while the legislature is in session, or it becomes law automatically. If she vetoes it, overriding that veto would need a two-thirds vote in both chambers — a bar the Assembly vote fell short of. New York would be the ninth state to adopt a plug-in solar law, following Utah and others; New Jersey has a similar bill still awaiting a signature, and California and Massachusetts are considering their own versions this year.